Options for painless local anesthesia.

Fear of the needle is a real issue with some patients and may be an obstacle to inducing anesthesia before minor surgical procedures are performed. Adults may express this fear verbally or, out of embarrassment, even avoid coming to the physician's office. Children may become intensely anxious and hysterical. In this article, Dr Holmes describes the use of alternative procedures and agents for reducing the pain of inducing anesthesia and thus reducing patients' anxiety.