Sometimes dental treatment can be uncomfortable or painful, so your dentist may offer you a local anaesthetic to numb the area which needs working on. Don't be afraid to ask your dentist to numb the area - you know your own pain threshold.

Usually only one injection is needed - and it is sometimes possible to work on more than one tooth with one injection. More than one injection is usually needed for an extraction.

The numb feeling will last for between 2 and 4 hours.

In some cases - like, for example, if you have to have your wisdom teeth removed - your dentist will recommend a general anaesthetic. You will have to go to a hospital for this, but your own dentist will be able to refer you.