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While lasers can mean a significant reduction in pain associated with dental visits and in healing time, only five percent of dentists currently utilize lasers in their practice. Dental lasers work by delivering a targeted, high-beam light that performs the same job as a scalpel, but with more precision and less tissue damage. Progressive dentists value utilizing lasers in dental care because of: • The extreme precision with which they can operate the laser • The high degree of control they have to increase/decrease the laser’s power • The reduced period of time the patient’s skin is actually exposed to the laser Advantage of Using Lasers in Dental Procedures First introduced in 1994, lasers can contribute greatly to patients’ ease and safety levels for several key reasons. Some clear advantages of using lasers include the following: • Sutures (stitches) are often not required.
• Local injections for pain may not be needed for some laser work.
• The laser’s light beam assists in clotting blood, so bleeding is kept to a minimum.
• The beam sterilizes the area worked on, lowering the risk of infection.
• Because lasers cause less tissue damage, healing time is reduced.
• For dental phobics, the laser can reduce fears connected with dental drilling. Lasers’ many dental applications include: • Tumors – Pain-free and suture-free removal of benign dental tumors
• Early cavity detection – Early-stage cavity detection by detecting cavities’ byproducts
• Fillings -- Reducing the need for drilling and local anesthesia during dental filling placement
• Gum re-contouring -- Reshaping gum and bone to provide a stronger base for tooth restoration procedures
• TMD -- Reducing discomfort and swelling associated with the temporomandibular jaw joint and TMD (temporomandibular joint disorder)
• Tooth-whitening -- Accelerating the tooth-whitening process
• Sensitive teeth -- Decreasing tooth sensitivity since lasers can seal tubules on the tooth’s root that lead to this condition
• Nerve regeneration -- Regenerating damaged nerves and blood vessels
• Sleep apnea -- Relieving sleep apnea caused by tissue overgrowth in the throat
• Folds caused by dentures – Removing tissue folds that sometimes develop with poorly fitted dentures Points to Consider about Laser Usage Despite their many applications in dental care, lasers do have some limitations:
• Lasers can't be used when teeth already have fillings.
• Lasers aren’t effective for filling cavities between teeth or for large cavities being prepared for a crown.
• Lasers cannot assist in removing old or defective crowns or silver fillings or in readying teeth for bridges.
• Anesthesia must still be used during some laser procedures.
• Laser treatment is generally more expensive since lasers cost more than drills. While lasers may not be appropriate for all procedures, they clearly offer a tremendous advancement in dental care, both in pain reduction and in healing time. If you or a loved one is considering laser dentistry or other procedures, and you live in the San Ramon, California area, please call 925-837-4486 to make an appointment, or visit the website of Drs. Lesueur and Dodaro to learn more about the varied dental techniques these professionals offer.
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