Analgesics are used to relieve acute pain which can be post operative pain and chronic pain, as well as adjunctive intra-operative pain. These medication can also be given pre operatively to decrease the expected pain. The relief from pain occurs either by blocking pain signals going to the brain or by interfering with the brain's interpretation of the signals, without producing anesthesia or loss of consciousness.
The use of systematically acting medications to reduce pain perception is an integral part of dental practice.