How can dentists numb your mouth?

Local anesthesia: has been making life more comfortable for dental patients since 1884. The first thing the dentist does is place a Q-tip dipped in topical anesthetic and it numbs the surface of your mouth, then the medicine is injected into the inside of your mouth using a very gentle dental needle. Hope it helps.

Anesthesia: A local anesthetic is used to "numb" your mouth.

Local anesthetics: Use of local anesthetics, injected and numbs specific areas or regions of the mouth, etc. Used to use Novocaine, but now many types of numbing agents- some with epinephrine to control bleeding and last longer, and others that either short acting and others that are much longer acting. Depends on procedure and health of patient.