The term Laser Dentistry is an efficient and precise way for performing most dental procedures known today. The ability of the dentist to control the power output and the level of exposure helps to achieve an improved dental procedure. The dentist should direct the therapy on the particular area, whether the tooth or the gum and avoid damage to the surrounding tissues.
Laser dentistry may be of great benefit to patients who are always anxious during a dental visit and who may want to achieve extreme comfort and safety.
Laser dentistry technology can be used to achieve a minimized recovery time and also to reduce the level of pain in patients.
Benefits of Laser Dentistry
Some advantages of laser dentistry include:
- Some laser dentistry procedures do not require anesthesia and, therefore, the patient does not need to be numb before the procedure.
- Laser dentistry procedures do not require the use of stitches or sutures.
- There is a minimized damage to the surrounding tissues of the site of the procedure.
- The site of the procedure is sterilized by the high-energy beam which means the possibility of bacterial infection is reduced.
- With laser dentistry procedures, wounds heal faster and also tissues regeneration is faster to achieve.
- Blood coagulation or clotting is enhanced in laser dentistry procedure which inhibits blood loss.
Application of Laser Dentistry
The use of laser therapy in the dental industry has opened a lot of ways for some dentists to perform procedures in a significant number of ways which they cannot do without laser dentistry. With laser dentistry, dentists can perform any dental procedure without assistance.
Hard Tissue (Tooth) Laser Dentistry Procedures
Cavity Detector: The by-products produced by tooth decay plays a significant role in the detection of cavities. This is what the dental laser reads in detecting cavities.
Dental Fillings/Tooth Preparation: The need for a local anesthetic agent is eliminated with the use of hard tissue dental lasers. With hard tissue dental lasers, the traditional dental drill no longer has value. Lasers also help in the elimination of bacteria found in the cavity. However, dental lasers cannot replace onlays, amalgam fillings, and crowns. This is because it is not appropriate.
Tooth Sensitivity: Dental lasers are used in sealing tubules found in the root of the tooth that enables the tooth to respond to the hot or cold sensation.
Soft Tissue (Gum) Laser Dentistry Procedures
- Crown lengthening: Dental lasers can reshape gum tissue and bone. Soft tissue laser is used for gum tissue while hard tissue laser is used for bone tissue. When this is done, a healthier tooth structure is achieved. This is called crown lengthening. One of the aims of this procedure is to achieve a stronger foundation for placement of restorations.
• Muscle Attachment (Frenula): Children who are tongue tied need a laser frenectomy. These children find it difficult to achieve a grip on the breast or to suck properly. They may also have a speech impairment. After frenectomy, the tongue will have a limitless movement space