Laser Dentistry, the Pain-Free Dentistry

Laser application is enormous in the field of medicine and dentistry is no exception. Lasers are used in various dental procedures and treatments. Although, laser technology does not enjoy much fanfare, it is agreed by the medical fraternity that they improve the precision of a treatment while reducing pain as well as time for recovery. Dental lasers are touted as more precise over the conventional drill and scalpels in the hands of a dental surgeon as they enable the dental expert to conserve so much tissue and bone surrounding the tooth while surgically reparing a tooth and its surrounding tissues.

How do the lasers work?
Lasers work on the principle of bringing the water within cells to boiling point and cause in the resultant cell bursting. However, it is the discretion of the dentist to use different lasers are available for different procedures. Specialists determine the appropriate wavelength of lasers based on the tissues that needed to be treated; hard or soft tissues. There are different dental procedures where lasers are successfully employed. These include but are not limited to:

•    Procedures of teeth whitening
•    Cavity removal procedures
•    Reshaping of gums and gum recountouring
•    To harden all those materials used in dental fillings and dental bonding
•    In excavating the microbes from periodontal pockets

Advantages of Dental Lasers

•    Dental lasers will result in no-stitches surgical procedure
•    Laser surgery doesn’t call for administering anesthesia
•    Laser surgery reduces blood loss to a great extant
•    Dental lasers reduces need for sutures
•    Healing of surgically operated area is very fast
•    Tissue regeneration is also fast from wound
•    No use of needles in pediatric dentistry is a great benefit for kids

Dental lasers can be used for painless removal of benign tumors from the gums, the palate, sides of the cheeks as well as lips. Tooth cavities can also be detected much earlier with the help of low-intensity soft tissue diagnostic dental lasers. Additionally, the safer way to see the insides of the tooth and gums is facilitated by Optical Coherence Tomography (laser based). Using low-intensity dental lasers the pain associated with cold sores can be dramatically reduced. Lasers also enable in contouring of the gum and bone to facilitate framing of healthier tooth structure. Hard tissue dental lasers are used to drill the tooth for giving a root canal treatment almost pain free under no/little anesthesia. Lasers are used to kill infectious bacteria within the cavities. Soft tissue maxillary lasers are used to affect a painless frenectomy for correcting the limited tongue movement or the tongue-tied condition.

Breathing-related problems such as sleep apnea, soft tissue folds due to ill-fitting dentures, gingivoplasty, gummy smile, gingivectomy, hot and cold tooth sensitivity are other problems that could be corrected using the lasers. However, lasers should not be taken as a substitute for amalgam fillings, onlays or crowns. Undoubtedly, application of dental lasers will increase with time. Whether it is diagnostic dentistry or restorative dentistry lasers could be the best option you can vote.