Anesthesia Overview

Information

Anesthesia may be given to you by a special doctor called an anesthesiologist or other health care provider. There are three main forms of anesthesia:

• Local anesthesia
• Regional anesthesia
• General anesthesia

Local anesthesia numbs only the part of your body that is hurt or being worked on. You are awake, but won't feel any pain. Most of the time, a needle is used to inject the medicine under the skin. Sometimes it is delivered through a nasal spray.

You may receive local anesthesia when you get stitches, have a tooth pulled, or when your doctor removes a small piece of skin for a biopsy .