Local anesthetics are drugs used to temporarily numb a specific area of the body. Two common local anesthetics are lidocaine and novocaine. Lidocaine is a synthetic amide-type anesthetic that is used to reduce pain in a localized area. Novocaine is a brand name for procaine, a type of ester anesthetic that is used to reduce pain in a localized area. Both lidocaine and novocaine are effective local anesthetics that can be used to reduce pain during medical procedures.