What Is a Dental Laser?
A dental laser is an equipment that gives out a pointed, intense beam of light directed at the tissue to be treated to either remove or shape it.Lasers used in dentistry can be classified based on application (hard or soft tissue),medium of use(gas or solid) or by the range of wavelength used(short or long).Soft tissue lasers are used for procedures involving soft tissues in the mouth, like gums while hard tissue lasers are used to cut hard tissues in the mouth, such as teeth and bone.To the dentist laser technology has considerably simplified and improved the patient treatment by vaporizing diseased tissue and killing the bacteria that causes the disease and making it sterile.Laser treatments cause less trauma and injury to teeth and gums compared to traditional procedures.
Our dentists at Smiline dental hospital use dental lasers safely and effectively in several procedures.
Application of lasers in dentistry
- To repair worn down fillings and damaged teeth without the need of anesthetic injections.Especially useful in children with fear of needles.
-To instantly relieve the discomfort of cold sores and fever blisters
To prepare access cavities and disinfect root canals effectively removing the bacteria and cleaning the root canals.
Treat symptoms of periodontal disease like bleeding gums,recession of gums by removing debris between your teeth and gums and saving the teeth.
-Treat inflamed gums and other soft tissue in the mouth safely and comfortably
-To improve the smile and make it attractive by lightening or gum depigmentation can be done.Crown lengthening procedures involve removing and reshaping bone and gum tissue
-To minimise antibiotic usage after tooth extraction, lasers can be used to sterilise the socket, which is highly beneficial in patients with diabetes
-Limits any medical risk in cardiac patients due to the discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy in heart patients.Medications can be continued under laser treatments
-Helps remove the soft tissue attachments in a tongue tie that can restrict the tongue movements
-Helps speed up the in office tooth whitening process significantly
-Can remove soft tissue growths like papillae,fibromas in the oral cavity or any excess tissue over an unerupted tooth or wisdom tooth.
-Lasers help in removing small amounts of decayed tooth structure while preserving healthy enamel and dentin
-Lasers are used in composite bonding treatments to prepare the tooth enamel
-Multiple problem areas in the mouth can be treated in a single appointment drastically reducing the chair time and making patients comfortable.
These are just a few examples of how Lasers can be used at Smiline dental hospital for a variety of dental problems.
What are the benefits of Laser Dentistry?
-Unlike the traditional drill laser dentistry doesn't involve any heat, vibration and pressure.Using laser energy and a gentle spray of water to perform several dental treatments,it is possible to use little or no anaesthetic.Absence of noise and vibration of the drill also keeps the patients relaxed,calm and comfortable.
-Time saving and convenience as several procedures can be undertaken in a single patient appointment.Win win for both patient and dentist.
- Unlike the drill they allow the dentist to remove only the caries affected area leaving healthy tooth structure untouched.Preserving the natural teeth is the goal of any dentist and lasers help achieve this by targeting the decayed areas with precision.
-Hemostatic,so blood loss is minimal
-Less postoperative swelling,scarring and pain,sterilisation of the treatment site and allows for quicker healing and recovery.
-Laser exposure is believed to decrease the activity of caries in the enamel
-Wound closure with dressing and sutures not required.
-Beneficial for the medically compromised patients due to reduced chance of infection
-Lasers play a role in the prevention and treatment of dentinal sensitivity
-Lasers induce an analgesic effect in certain restorations getting rid of the need for anesthesia.Also can reduce pain and inflammation of the temporomandibular jaw joint.
What are the disadvantages of dental lasers?
Laser beams can cause harm to the patient or dentist by direct beam or reflected light, causing burns in the retina.As such protective eyewear must be worn by the dentist and everyone in the treatment room while using lasers.
Laser equipment can be an expensive investment for the dentist.
Laser dentistry should be practiced by qualified dentists only trained in the particular device.
-Lasers cannot be used fill proximal cavities, remove defective crowns or silver fillings, prepare teeth for bridges
