What is a laser in general and what is a dental laser?

Dental lasers are actually a cluster of instruments and an exciting innovation to the practice of dentistry. A laser device is a high-technology instrument that generates a beam of concentrated light. This beam of light concentrates energy to the patient’s mouth and is used to find, diagnose and treat early and difficult to detect decay problems, or for soft tissues procedures, curing of restorative materials, achieving tooth whitening or removing diseased tooth structure and gingival tissue.

What are the benefits of dental lasers?

Some of the most visible benefits include the treatment of patients without administering anesthetic shots, not having to use a drill. And that means less time spent on the dental chair! Dentists can perform procedures more conservatively, with fewer traumas for patients. Laser applications also enable patients to enjoy a more relaxed dental experience, reducing or diminishing their fears, allowing dentists to perform various applications in a more comfortable fashion, faster, more effectively and potentially leading to an excellent post-op experience for patients. With the help of the soft tissue lasers there is no bleeding during procedures, thus allowing greater visibility for the clinician and much more comfort for the patient during and after the procedure.

What types of procedures can be performed with a laser?

In some cases, lasers may replace the conventional treatment and for other procedures they supplement the existing treatment.

Using lasers we can:

1. Reduce the sensitivity of the teeth for up to 12 months for people who suffer from sensitive teeth

2. Target bacteria, which cause gum disease (e.g. in periodontitis or in gingivitis). A quick and painless laser treatment can be very effective in treating gum disease and promoting healing. The same applies to infected tooth canals.

3. Achieve not only sterilization of the main root canal but also sterilization in the lateral canals as a result of which the success of the root canal therapy is enhanced.

4. Lasers are ideal for fillings since they are more accurate and selective at removing decay than conventional drills, no needles are required and laser fillings can be done in all parts of the mouth in a single visit. With lasers, nowadays drill-free dentistry for many different applications is a reality.

5. A lot of different kinds of oral surgery can be performed with dental lasers, like frenectomy, biopsy, osteotomy, apicectomy, removal or treatment of lesions in the mouth or on the lips; for example, cold sores or lip herpes may be treated as well.

Are lasers safe?

Definitely yes! According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lasers are safe to use on all patients.

Who can benefit from laser treatment?

Both adults and children can benefit. It is highly recommended for example
for people who have diabetes, heart disease, blood coagulation problems.
The only situation in which dental lasers are not used is for amalgam filling
removal.