eli5: why do mouth numbing gels like orajel numb your mouth and teeth but not hands/skin?

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it numbs my tongue instantly but even after 5-10 minutes on skin it feels exactly the same.

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Your skin is thicker and chemically different than your mouth. The orajel can easily soak in and actually do the numbing in your mouth, but not nearly as easily on your skin. I wouldn’t recommend it, but you could place it on a papercut, where it can get into that wound and start numbing.

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