Local Anesthesia

What is Local Anesthesia

Local anesthesia is the use of medicine to numb a specific area of the body. The medicine, called a local anesthetic, may be:

  • Injected into your body with a needle.
  • Applied to your skin as a cream, gel, or drops.
  • Applied to the inside of your mouth or nose as a gel, liquid, or mist.

Local anesthesia is commonly used during dental procedures and other in-office procedures, such as a skin biopsy or the repair of a cut. The medicines work quickly and provide comfort during and after the procedure.

Tell a health care provider about:

  • Any allergies you have.
  • All medicines you are taking, including blood thinners, vitamins, herbs, eye drops, creams, and over-the-counter medicines.
  • Any problems you or family members have had with anesthetic medicines.
  • Any blood disorders you have.
  • Any surgeries you have had.
  • Any medical conditions you have.
  • Whether you are pregnant or may be pregnant, or if you are breastfeeding.
  • When you last ate or drank anything.

What are the risks?

Generally, this is a safe procedure. However, problems may occur, including:

  • Bruising, bleeding, redness, or soreness where the medicine was given.
  • Redness or irritation where the topical cream, gel, or drops were placed.
  • Light-headedness.
  • Infection.
  • An allergic reaction to the local anesthetic (rare).
  • Seizure, heart problems, or trouble breathing (rare). This can happen if you get too much medicine.

What happens before the procedure?

Eating and drinking

  • Follow instructions from your health care provider about eating or drinking restrictions.

Medicine

  • Ask your health care provider about:
    • Changing or stopping your regular medicines. This is especially important if you are taking diabetes medicines or blood thinners.
    • Taking medicines such as aspirin and ibuprofen. These medicines can thin your blood. Do not take these medicines unless your health care provider tells you to take them.
    • Taking over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, herbs, and supplements.

What happens during the procedure?

  • To reduce your risk of infection:
    • Your health care team will wash or sanitize their hands.
    • Hair may be removed from the surgical area.
    • Your skin will be washed with soap.
  • You will be given a local anesthetic. This medicine may be:
    • Injected into your body with a needle.
    • Applied to your skin as a cream, gel, or drops.
    • Applied to the inside of your mouth or nose as a gel, liquid, or mist.
  • If you are having an injection:
    • You will be asked to stay still.
    • You may feel some discomfort as the medicine is being injected. A health care provider will check to make sure that any discomfort goes away quickly.
  • You will be monitored to make sure you are comfortable and calm.
  • Your blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, and blood oxygen level may be monitored.

The procedure may vary among health care providers and hospitals.

What happens after the procedure?

  • The area of your body that was numbed may stay numb for many hours. Be sure to protect the area from harm until the medicine wears off.
  • You may have bruising, bleeding, or redness in the area where the medicine was given.

Summary

  • Local anesthesia is the use of medicine to numb a specific area of the body.
  • Local anesthesia is commonly used during dental procedures and other in-office procedures, such as a skin biopsy or the repair of a cut.
  • You will be monitored during the procedure to make sure you are comfortable.

Local Anesthesia, Care After

This sheet gives you information about how to care for yourself after your procedure. Your health care provider may also give you more specific instructions. If you have problems or questions, contact your health care provider.

What can I expect after the procedure?

After the procedure, it is common to have:

  • Numbness in the area where you were given local anesthetic medicine. This numbness usually wears off within a few hours. It should be completely gone after 24 hours.
  • Bruising, bleeding, or redness in the area where the medicine was given.

Follow these instructions at home:

If you had an injection:

  • Check the area where the medicine was injected every day for signs of infection. Check for:
    • Redness, swelling, or pain.
    • Fluid or blood.
    • Warmth.
    • Pus or a bad smell.

General instructions

  • Follow instructions from your health care provider about how to take care of the area that was numbed. Protect the area from harm until the medicine wears off and you regain full feeling in the area.
  • If you have a wound or incision, keep it clean and dry.
  • Return to your normal activities as told by your health care provider. Ask your health care provider what activities are safe for you.
  • Take over-the-counter and prescription medicines only as told by your health care provider.

Contact a health care provider if:

  • You have numbness at the procedure site that last more than 24 hours.
  • You have pain at the procedure site that is not controlled with the pain medicine that your health care provider gave you.
  • You have redness or swelling around the procedure site.
  • The injection area feels warm to the touch.
  • You have pus or a bad smell coming from the injection site.
  • You have a fever.

Get help right away if:

  • You have trouble breathing.
  • You have chest pain.

Summary

  • After the procedure, it is common to have numbness for many hours in the area where you were given local anesthetic medicine.
  • Protect the numbed area from harm until the medicine wears off and you regain full feeling in the area.
15585

Sign up to receive the trending updates and tons of Health Tips

Join SeekhealthZ and never miss the latest health information

15856