Laser Dentistry
Laser – Painless Dentistry
We have made a commitment to your health by using laser technology, thus offering you the opportunity to have a safe, anxiety free dental experience. Use of lasers allows the dentist to perform procedures without drills and scalpels, and in most cases, without anesthesia.
This innovative state-of-the-art technology provides many advantages over conventional therapies. It allows you to have many procedures done with minimal intervention, and little to no anesthetic. For many, that alone is great news!
What is Laser Therapy?
A laser is a tiny beam of very concentrated light. This beam of light brings energy into your mouth through a tiny fiber, to help remove areas of infection and remove gum disease around the teeth with great precision and accuracy.
The laser beam sterilizes the affected area and seals off blood vessels, which minimizes the chance of infection or bleeding. Patients are also much more comfortable during and after treatment with laser therapy. The need for local anesthetic is reduced but it is usually used to make sure that you feel absolutely nothing during the treatment.
Procedures Performed with Laser Therapy
- Surgical and Dental Procedures: The laser acts as a cutting instrument or a vaporizer of tissue that it comes in contact with.
- Gum Disease: When lasers are used during periodontal therapy, there is less bleeding, swelling and discomfort to the patient when cleaning and removing diseased tissue. Scalpels and stitches are often completely unnecessary, resulting in quick and comfortable healing.
- Tooth Decay: Lasers are used to remove decay within a tooth and prepare the surrounding enamel for receipt of the filling. Lasers are also used to “cure” or harden a filling.
- Teeth Whitening: The laser acts as a heat source and enhances the effect of tooth bleaching agents.
- Cosmetic Purposes: We can use the laser to simplify a variety of oral corrections that may be requested including evening crooked gum lines and reducing the length of the gum line. Teeth that appear small or short can be “lengthened” by recontouring the gum line using the laser. This procedure is used to create a perfect, harmonious gum line in relation to the lips and teeth.
- Biopsy or Lesion Removal: Lasers can be used to remove a small piece of tissue (called a biopsy) so that it can be examined for cancer. Lasers are also used to remove lesions in the mouth and relieve the pain of canker sores.
Benefits of Laser Therapy
- Faster healing
- Reduced risk of infection
- Decreased sensitivity
- Less time in the dental chair
- May reduce anxiety in patients uncomfortable with the use of the dental drill
- Minimize bleeding and swelling during soft tissue treatments
- May preserve more healthy tooth during cavity removal
- Less post-treatment discomfort