LASER dentistry

What are LASERs and how do they work?

Lasers show up in an amazing range of products and technologies. You will find them in everything from CD players to high-speed metal cutting machines to measuring systems. They all use lasers. But what is a LASER? And what makes a laser beam different from the beam of a flashlight?

LASER stands for :

Light
Amplification by
Stimulated
Emission of
Radiation

LASER light is quite different from normal light. It has the following properties

1. The light is monochromatic. It contains one specific wavelength of light (one specific color)
2. The light is coherent where the photons are organised and the waves of light move in unison
3. Collimation. This means the light is very directional. A laser light has a very tight beam and is very strong and concentrated. A lightbulb, on the other hand, releases light in many directions, and the light is very weak and scattered

Different types of lasers release light at wavelengths unique to that LASER.

They have affinity for different substances. For example medical LASERs have been developed where the energy can be absorbed by red pigments, dark pigments, bone and water. Some of their uses include coagulation, eye surgery , neurosurgery, plastic surgery, cosmetic surgery, skin resurfacing, removal of blemishes, hair removal.

What can our dental LASER do?

Some of the procedures which are performed by dental lasers include:

As an aid in cosmetic dentistry

• Gummy smile correction,
• reshape and straighten gums next to porcelain veneers for that perfect smile
• Tissue retraction for impressions - eliminates need to pack cord

LASERs as an alternative to the surgical scalpel

• Re-contouring of gum (crown lengthening)
• Oral surgery - Gingivectomy ,Gingivoplasty, Frenectomy, Leukoplakia removal, Biopsies
• Tissue fusion - replacing sutures
• Implant exposure (2nd stage of implants)
• Incisions and draining of abscesses

LASERs can be used in Endodontics (root canal treatment)

• Low pain removal of nerve tissue
• Drying and Sterilization of the root canal
• Single visit therapy sometimes possible

 

LASERs in the Treatment of gum disease

• Calculus removal below gum line
• Periodontal pocket decontamination
• Destroys bacteria involved in gum disease
• Promotes healing of gums and reattachment to root surfaces
• Acute gum infections

Treatment of Other Oral lesions

• Treatment of aphthous ulcers
• Treatment of cold sores/ herpes – early intervention can prevent sore from developing

What are the benefits of LASER dentistry?

There are several. This technology offers benefits to the patient as well as enabling the dentist to provide higher quality dentistry. Here are some of the major benefits:

• Low-pain treatment: The LASER operates using very short pulses of energy. The pulses are so quick that the reaction threshold of nerves is not reached. Because of this anaesthetics are often not required for many procedures
• Sterile procedure: the LASER sterilises in action
• Germ-destroying effect: Bacteria are vaporised instantly resulting in maximum germ reduction. LASER energy heats up and evaporates the moisture within bacterial cells.The cells explode and die
• Reduced procedure time and efficient operation with less trauma
• Minimally invasive and precise: areas outside the laser beam are unaffected.

What are the advantages of LASER surgery?

• LASERs are more gentle than other methods of cutting hard and soft oral tissue
• Sterilises treatment area
• Minimal anaesthetic required
• Less bleeding and swelling
• Reduced need for stitches
• Promotes fast healing: Operations with Lasers result in little or no post surgical discomfort

LASERs used in “extreme makeover dentistry” and “instant orthodontics”

They are used in conjunction with the porcelain veneers to straighten smile lines and produce symmetry in a smile (called instant orthodontics).

• Immediate cosmetic results possible
• LASER treatments gently remove gum tissue to change the shape of the gum line

What will I experience during LASER treatment?

You are give protective eyewear. The area may be numbed with an anaesthetic injection. A slight odour may be experienced during the procedure.

Are LASERs safe?

Yes. In the hands of a qualified trained dentist, lasers are very safe. As with any device used in the dental practice, we have undertaken the appropriate training courses with local instructors and overseas experts in laser dentistry.