Dental anesthesia is the application of anesthesia specifically within the field of dentistry. It encompasses local anesthetics, sedation, and general anesthesia, each used to manage pain and anxiety during dental procedures. Common local anesthetic drugs used in dentistry include lidocaine, articaine, prilocaine, mepivacaine, and bupivacaine. These drugs provide a numbing effect that typically lasts for 30 to 60 minutes, allowing for pain-free dental procedures.