Dental Laser Treatment
What dental laser treatment?
Lasers have been used in dentistry since 1994 to treat a number of dental problems. Laser dentistry potentially offers a more comfortable treatment option for a number of dental procedures involving hard or soft tissue compared to drills and other non-laser tools.
All lasers work by delivering energy in the form of light. When used for surgical and dental procedures, the laser acts as a cutting instrument or a vaporizer of tissue that it comes in contact with. The instrument creates light energy in a very narrow and focused beam. This laser light produces a reaction when it hits tissue, allowing it to remove or shape the tissue.
How is laser treatment preformed?
The two main types of procedures used for laser dentistry are hard tissue and soft tissue procedures. Hard tissue refers to the teeth, and soft tissue refers to the gums. However Dent Blanche Dental only offers soft tissue procedures.
Common soft tissue procedures include:
- Treating a “gummy smile”
- Crown Lengthening
- Treating tongue frenulum attachment
- Removing soft tissue folds
Other laser procedures include:
- Viewing Tissues
- Removing benign tumors
- Treating cold sores
Benefits of using laser dentistry over other methods
- There is potentially a decreased need for sutures with soft tissue lasers.
- Bleeding is minimized in treated soft tissues, as the laser promotes blood clotting.
- With some procedures, anesthesia is unnecessary.
- The chance for bacterial infections is lower because the laser sterilizes the area.
- Wounds can heal faster, and it’s possible for tissue to regenerate.
- The procedures may involve less damage to the surrounding tissues.
Soft tissue lasers can be absorbed through water and hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein found in red blood cells. These lasers are used to treat periodontitis, including killing bacteria and activating tissue re-growth. Soft tissue lasers seal nerve endings and blood vessels while they penetrate the tissue. For this reason, many experience almost no pain after laser treatment. The lasers also promote faster healing of the tissue.