Your dentist might need to apply dental local anesthesia to numb an area of your mouth while performing certain procedures. We do this by injecting medicine – known as a local anesthetic – into your inner cheek or gum. Nowadays, the most common anesthetic dentists use is Lidocaine.

What happens when the dentist numbs your mouth?

General anesthetics can get you unconscious and last for hours. Local anesthetics can wear off depending on the amount the dentist used. Typically, your tooth will be numb for about 1 to 2 hours during the procedure. Your lips and cheeks will stay numb longer, about 3 to 4 hours.

When the dentist numbs your mouth How long does it last?

With most local anaesthetics, your tooth will be numb for 2-3 hours, while your lips and tongue will be numb for 3-5 hours after the time of injection. As the blood flow carries away the anaesthetic from the injection site to be metabolized or broken down, the numb feeling will gradually fade away.