The Many Benefits Of Laser Dentistry

8 January 2015
 Categories: Dentist, Blog

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Laser dentistry technology provides exciting new options for dental patients, including less pain, faster healing for certain procedures and decreased anxiety for patients that are bothered by the standard drill. While laser dentistry does not work for all dental procedures, for certain tasks it is a significant improvement over the old way of doing things. Some of the benefits of laser dentistry include:

Increased accuracy

Lasers give dentists increased control over the removal of decay and soft tissue. This means that less material needs to be removed in many instances. When removing tooth decay, less of the healthy tooth needs to be removed to effectively treat a cavity. When cutting gum tissue or other soft tissue, the laser can make a finer cut than a traditional metal blade.

Minimized bleeding

Lasers can be used to cut away and sometimes vaporize tissue. Because of the quality of the laser, this tends to lead to less bleeding than with traditional cutting tools.

Less pain

When less tissue or tooth material needs to be removed, it can often lead to less pain on the part of the patient. Pain cannot always be eliminated entirely, but even moderate pain reduction is a considered a major benefit by patients.

Faster curing of fillings

Lasers are remarkable for their versatility. Not only can they be used to cut or vaporize, they can also be used to help harden fillings. The dentist directs the laser over the filling, and the energy from the laser helps to make the bond between the tooth and filling stronger.

Laser-white teeth

Some dentists are even using lasers to assist in teeth-whitening procedures. The bleaching agents that the dentist uses can actually be made more effective when a laser is applied to them.

Healthier gums

Gingivitis can be incredibly destructive, and sometimes it takes decisive measures to treat it and prevent it. Dentists can use lasers to change the shape of the gum-line and to eliminate bacteria underneath the gum-line.

Cleaner root canals

When the dentist performs a root canal, he or she must clean out all of the bacteria present in the area left behind by the root of the tooth. Some dentists are now taking advantage of the bacteria-killing capabilities of lasers to help clean out root canals as thoroughly as possible.

More effective canker sore treatments

Lasers have been used to effectively treat the pain created by canker sores.