Please advise what is the difference between lidocaine and novocaine?

Local Anesthetics: Both Lidocaine (xylocaine) and novocaine(procaine) are local anesthetics that anesthetize, or numb. Lidocaine is an amide and novocaine an ester local anesthetic respectively -- this refers to their chemical structure and bonding that dictate onset of action, duration of action and metabolism to some degree. Essentially, they both have the same action.