Laser Dentistry

Laser dentistry is a new type of dentistry that‚’s currently used by only about six or seven percent of general dentists, but this is expected to increase as the benefits of using lasers become clearer. Laser dentistry can be used for everything from dental examinations to cosmetic surgery and other procedures, and has several benefits over traditional preventative and cosmetic dentistry.


Laser Dentistry Procedures

Lasers are used to:

  • Find cavities earlier than visual exams, and prepare teeth for fillings instead of using a drill
  • Seal the natural holes in the roots of teeth known as tubules that make teeth overly sensitive to hot and cold
  • Reshape gum tissue in cosmetic surgery for a less gummy smile, and perform corrective gum surgery
  • Reshape bone to help stabilize teeth and prepare for things like a crown and other enhancements
  • Perform corrective surgeries like the removal of benign tumors, or surgery on the uvula and surrounding throat tissues to eliminate severe snoring and sleep apnea problems
  • Reduce pain and swelling caused by things from cold sores to TMJ problems
  • Tooth whitening
  • Find cavities earlier than visual exams, and prepare teeth for fillings instead of using a drill
  • Seal the natural holes in the roots of teeth known as tubules that make teeth overly sensitive to hot and cold
  • Reshape gum tissue in cosmetic surgery for a less gummy smile, and perform corrective gum surgery
  • Reshape bone to help stabilize teeth and prepare for things like a crown and other enhancements
  • Perform corrective surgeries like the removal of benign tumors, or surgery on the uvula and surrounding throat tissues to eliminate severe snoring and sleep apnea problems
  • Reduce pain and swelling caused by things from cold sores to TMJ problems
  • Tooth whitening

As laser dentistry becomes more popular, more uses for lasers in dental procedures will likely be discovered, and everyone will be able to benefit from the use of the new technology.

Laser Dentistry Benefits

There are several reasons why lasers are simply better than traditional dental tools like drills. Lasers allow for faster healing after procedures for many reasons. The intense beam of a laser sterilizes the area it‚’s used on, which means there are fewer infections after procedures.

Lasers also serve to lessen bleeding because they actually help seal off blood vessels and foster coagulation wherever they‚’re used. If the traditional procedure would require stitches, it may not when done with laser dentistry.

Some procedures that now require a drill and anesthetic can be done without anesthetic when a laser is used instead. When no shots are required before a procedure, patients relax more and anticipate less pain, which means they have less pain. And for patients who are very anxious about shots and dental procedures, using a laser without anesthetic can put them more at ease.

Also, because the laser can be directed to a very small area, there‚’s less damage to surrounding tissues than there would be if traditional tools were used. All these things mean faster healing and less pain.

Cosmetic Laser Dentistry

When dental problems are cosmetic instead of fixative as with cavities , or broken or painful teeth, many people opt to not have treatment at all. Sometimes this is because they fear the pain of the procedure or worry that it‚’ll be time consuming and messy, as sometime tooth whitening can be. But with lasers, the dentist simply using the light from the laser to whiten teeth achieves tooth whitening more quickly and easily.

And procedures like gum surgery for a better appearance can be performed more comfortably with faster healing thanks to laser dentistry, so there‚’s truly no reason not to give yourself the gift of a beautiful smile and the confidence that comes with it.