Sedation vs. Local Anesthesia: What’s the Difference?

Dentist explaining sedation and local anesthesia options to a patient before dental treatment.

If you feel nervous about dental treatment, you may hear words such as sedation, anesthesia, and numbing when discussing ways to make care more comfortable. Those terms do not all mean the same thing. The simplest way to understand sedation vs. local anesthesia is this: Local anesthesia specifically numbs the treatment area. Sedation primarily changes […]