What You Can Expect from Laser Dentistry

We use laser dentistry to perform procedures in a more comfortable way. Laser dentistry has been around since 1994 and has been used to cure any number of dental problems. The FDA has approved many of the procedures done using laser dental technology.  This has resulted in a us being able to cure a number of different conditions with the help of modern technology. Virtually all lasers work the same way. They are designed to deliver energy, in the form of light, to a very specific area with pinpoint precision. When a laser is used in dental procedures, and particularly in surgical procedures, the laser acts like a cutting instrument replacing things like the scalpel and the drill. Instantly, what you have is a situation where there is significantly less trauma to the tissue that we are working on and even the tissue surrounding the area that the dentist is trying to remedy.  As a result, the American Dental Association states that it is cautiously optimistic about the role that laser technology will have in the field of dentistry for centuries to come.

Being that laser dentistry is not new, we find that it is now being used to treat a number of different dental problems from the mild to the cosmetic to the more severe dental maladies. However, most dentists still do not use lasers.  We do and are now able to treat things like tooth decay with lasers by removing the decay within the tooth and preparing the surrounding tooth structure to receive a filling without having to use things like a dental drill.  For patients who suffer from dental anxiety, the ability for us to do all of this with the help of an energy-producing light, instead of the dental drill, allows them to come in with a sense of confidence and not having to worry about the tools that need to be placed in their mouth. We also treat things like gum disease with laser dentistry. Lasers can be used to reshape the gums and even remove bacteria which is taken out during the standard root canal therapy.  In other words, you can come in for a root canal procedure and never have to deal with the drill or some of the other tools that caused so much anxiety. This has allowed us to truly advance root canal therapy and other necessary treatment options for patients who have an extreme fear of dental procedures. In fact, laser dentistry is also being used for biopsies and lesion removal. Lasers can remove an extremely small piece of tissue, called a biopsy so that it can be examined for oral cancer. At the same time, dental laser technology is also being used to remove lesions from the mouth and relieve the pain of common problems like canker sores.

Whether you were using laser dentistry to have your teeth whitened or you are using laser dentistry to have a cavity removed, you can come in assured that we are going to preserve the health of the tooth itself, the teeth around it, minimize bleeding and swelling, protect the soft tissue, and all while reducing the anxiety that occurs with use of regular dental tools. In fact, it has been found that laser dentistry causes less discomfort in many instances, and so reduces the need for using anesthesia. Call our office today to enjoy more comfortable dental treatments.

How Laser Dentistry is Used During Oral Surgery

Oral surgery is easier than ever with our laser dentistry technology. You will experience a less invasive surgery with fewer possible side effects and a faster recovery time. Our lasers use an intense beam of light and heat to perform detailed procedures without harming the surrounding teeth and oral tissues. Since the beginning of laser use in the late 1980’s, the laser dentistry technology has become more powerful than ever, providing trusted and long-lasting results.

Benefits of Laser Therapy, aka Laser Dentistry

Like mentioned above, laser dentistry allows for a fast recovery time and a less invasive surgery for patients. This provides convenience and less chair time for each patient. Many of our laser treatments do not require anesthesia which allows patients to leave our office directly following surgery without feeling hesitant or nervous about driving with an anesthetic in their system. Even though they leave your system quickly following a procedure and are completely safe, many people are still wary of the option. Also, because our laser treatments are so precise, there is a lower chance of bacterial infection developing. There is also less possibility of scar tissue developing or bleeding and swelling following surgery. With all of these benefits, our patients go into their oral surgery comfortably with their minds at complete ease.

Types of Laser Dentistry

There are two main types of laser dentistry that branch out into multiple types of procedures. There is hard tissue laser dentistry and soft tissue laser dentistry. Hard tissue laser therapy includes treatment of cavity detection and removal, as well as the application of dental fillings. This type of laser dentistry is used to improve sensitivities in teeth and to perform an alternative root canal therapy to the classic methods.

The second type of laser dentistry is soft tissue laser therapy. When your gums need reshaping, redirecting, or general gum surgery, we can use soft tissue laser dentistry as a less invasive option to those performed using traditional dental tools. We can also provide you with a muscle attachment improvement, oral lesion or tumor removal, biopsies, periodontal disease treatment, removal of bacteria from below your gum line, and sleep apnea treatment with the use of laser dentistry. These are all considered soft tissue laser dentistry.

Where Laser Dentistry Cannot Be Used

Although there are many areas of oral surgery and general non-invasive procedures in which laser dentistry can be used, there are a few areas in which it cannot. The additional use of polishing tools may be needed to finish off fillings in order to create a smooth surface. Shaping tools may also be employed. Laser dentistry may not be used around some already placed fillings and crowns.
Our office has found that laser dentistry is more useful and versatile than many realize. For those suffering from anxiety when faced with traditional tools, laser dentistry is a safe and viable option that may produce less fear in patients. Our laser dentistry technology is advanced and can perform smooth and successful oral surgery. Contact our office to learn more about this state-of-the-art technology.

Laser Dentistry is the Way of the Future

Imagining laser dentistry as the wave of the future is not hard. After all, laser technology is growing by leaps and bound, becoming a part of everyday life in fields like medicine. While it is true that we are early adopters, meaning many other clinics are going to be playing catch up, laser dentistry is not a new thing. In fact, laser dentistry has been around for at least two decades, with many dentists adopting parts of the technology as early as the 1990's. The difference between the broadly accepted use of lasers, and what is now being done by 5% of US dentists, is the location of the treatments. We are using lasers, very successfully, to treat all areas of oral health.

Traditionally lasers were only used for oral surgery, something we continue to use them for in our office. Additionally, treatment of the gums and teeth is now a reality, and it is successful upward of 95% of the time. Laser dentistry, for use on oral health challenges like cavities or to remove decay, may sound very futuristic. In reality, we are doing it now, using a technology that is head and shoulders above the competition.

As a laser dentistry practitioner, one of the most frequent questions we are asked is why lasers are considered to be superior to some of the traditional tools used by dentists. We believe in evolution, and dentistry is an evolving practice, with lasers being the up and coming technology. This alone makes them better, but there is much more. For starters, lasers help people who have a profound fear of the dentist chair. We have found that statistically over 20% of all patients, in keeping with the national average, experience a great deal of anxiety when visiting the dentist. An additional 5% to 8% will not even visit the dentist because their fear is so great. A lot of this fear comes from the use of tools like an electric drill inside of the mouth. The drill and other metal dental tools were used on a frequent basis until the advent of laser dentistry. Using a completely soundless laser, we can perform the same procedures in a fraction of the time. For people with fears this means we are not only lessening the time you need to spend in the chair but are also removing the most traumatic part of dentistry, the drill.

Laser dentistry even takes things to the next level in pain management. For procedures like treating gum disease, traditional dentists would need to use anesthesia, either local or general. However, a 2002 Japanese study found that laser dentistry could complete the same procedure without needing any anesthesia at all. In the patients who were treated, 65% experienced no discomfort at all, despite the lack of anesthesia. An additional 22% experienced very mild discomfort while a further 4% experienced tolerable discomfort. In total, 91% of the patients were treated without anesthesia for a very common dental ailment.  We have also found that the use of lasers allows our patients to remain more comfortable during their treatment while also decreasing the overall recovery time.  To learn more, we invite you to call and schedule a consultation.

Periodontist  >  Gum Recession

Is Laser Dentistry Completely Safe For My Teeth?

We offer laser dentistry as a safe and comfortable alternative to working with traditional dental tools. Understandably a lot of people hear the term “laser” and are afraid that a strong beam of light will be aimed at their mouth causing intense heat to radiate, steam to go everywhere and mouth irritation to occur. While this sounds like a good sci-fi movie, it is not modern day dentistry. In fact, using lasers is nothing to fear but rather a technology to embrace, due to a laser’s ability to make dental procedures more comfortable overall.

When a laser is used, it allows us to focus more precisely than we can using a traditional metal tool. The laser beam is smaller and finer so that the area it targets can be incredibly small. Simultaneously, when using a laser the risk of the surrounding tissue being irritated is greatly reduced. With a metal dental tool, one small slip can lead to scraping, scratches and overall irritation. That doesn’t happen with a laser because it is easier to control and won’t damage your tissue. In fact, a laser can actually help to restore your tissue and in some procedures the laser helps to stop the bleeding while the work is being performed, making it a true help, rather than a concerning new technology.

In our office, we use laser dentistry as a way to perform a procedure that could otherwise be rather uncomfortable. We focus on the health of gum tissue and do a lot of work treating gum disease. Gum disease will affect the majority of U.S. adults at some point in their lifetime. In the lucky ones, the disease goes away after a bi-annual teeth cleaning, never to be thought of again. For everyone else, the condition can spread and lead to gum recession. This is a bad scenario because the gums are in place to protect the tooth, roots, and jawbone. When the gums recede, these areas are exposed and susceptible to attack. Our job is to eliminate the gum disease so that the healing process can start.

Since we use lasers, it is easier to do so. Where a traditional cleaning procedure would involve using a dental tool to get under the gum tissue and physically scrape away and plaque or tartar, we can use lasers to break up the tartar before wiping it out along with any lingering bacteria. This allows the gums to start the natural healing process. After all, with the irritant being removed, they can start to rejuvenate. If, however, they have receded too far, we can perform a procedure using lasers to help the gum tissue to grow back. Typically, a gum graft would be necessary which involves taking tissue from the roof of the mouth and suturing it to the remaining gum tissue. This can be uncomfortable and has a longer recovery process than what we can do using lasers. Laser dentistry allows us to rejuvenate the gum tissue to the point that they will start to grow back without the need for surgery. To learn more about this option, call for a consultation.