Numerous studies have indicated that the problem of pain relief at a dental appointment is extremely relevant, since the number of patients with multiple carious lesions and their complications is quite high. This paper reviews the literature on the use of anesthetics in the dental practice in order to provide painless qualified comprehensive dental care. Purpose: to analyze the literature data in order to identify the effectiveness of various anesthetics during dental procedures. Search strategy: The study analyzed full-text publications in English and Russian, which are devoted to the most commonly used anesthetics in the Russian Federation. Results and conclusions: Modern types of anesthetics and methods of pain relief at a dental appointment were studied, their pharmacological properties were compared, and more effective anesthetics were identified: for topical anesthesia — bumecaine, for infiltration anesthesia — articaine as less toxic and not causing allergic reactions.