As dentists strive to create the perfect smile,
they are continually using new technology to improve patient care.
Laser dentistry technology is the most practical and least invasive
technology available to deliver restorative and preventive care
What is
Laser Dentistry?
The term laser
stands for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation – a
device that produces and amplifies light. The light can be
focused into a tiny point to do very fine, exact work. It is
so precise in dental surgery that there isn’t as much tissue
swelling. It is gentle on soft gum tissue and the heat from
the laser also has a sterilization effect.
The
Advantages of Laser Dentistry
The precision and unique features of dental lasers
are such that laser therapy has been associated with a conservative
approach, extreme safety, and comfortable treatment for many patients.
The precision of dental lasers is due to the degree of control that
dentists trained in laser dentistry have over power output, duration of
exposure, and the size of the procedure's area of focus. The unique features
of dental lasers reflect recent discoveries associated with the
powerful effects of light-energy when dosed as medicine. Some
of the advantages are:
- Procedures performed using
dental lasers may not require sutures.
- Some traditional procedures
performed under anesthesia do not require anesthesia with the use of
the laser.
- Patient bleeding is minimized
during laser dentistry procedures because the high-energy light beam
aids in the clotting (coagulation) of exposed blood vessels, inhibiting
blood loss.
- Bacterial infections are
minimized because the high-energy beam sterilizes any area being worked
on.
- Because dental lasers are very
precise medical devices, they can actually minimize the amount of
damage caused to the tissue surrounding a procedure's area of focus.
- Wounds heal faster and tissues
can be regenerated.
- Overall, patients experience
less pain and much faster recovery time
When
it laser dentistry used?
Examples
of procedures that are routinely performed in our office using laser
dentistry are:
- Clinical
crown lengthening
- Soft tissue debridement
- Orthodontic tissue control
- Frenum release
- Biopsies
- Cold sore treatment
- Implant access
If
you have any questions about laser dentistry please talk to Dr.
Glenn. He would be happy to answer all of your
questions. You may also visit the Academy
of Laser Dentistry website, an independent, non-profit
organization that specializes in patient education of lasers in
dentistry.
