2TheApex:Yes! Our goal is to make dental visits as painless as possible.  "Your comfort is our priority" can be heard daily in my operatory several times a day.  Topical anesthetic is most effective for infiltration injections in areas of unattached tissue.  Research does not support it's effectiveness for palatal (highly keratinized tissue) injections.  But, we feel it comes down to empathy and possible placebo effect for most injection sites.  The 30-60 seconds it takes to apply the topical is a trust builder with a patient we likely just met minutes earlier.How to apply it:  Dry the area with a 2 x 2 gauze, place a cotton-tipped applicator with the topical at the site of future injection, cover it with the gauze and have patient close their mouth for 30-60 seconds.  Then remove applicator and wipe out  remaining topical with the gauze.  Inject.For some injection sites it comes down to: Why Not?  For the palatal injections I do skip it in favor of pressure anesthesia using the back end of my mouth mirror.  Of course for some patients you may need to skip it due to allergies or medical reasons.Other tips for successful local anesthesia click here