Laser dentistry

Efficiency and safety

The use of lasers in dentistry is becoming increasingly popular. There are many uses for lasers in dentistry. These include the removal of tooth decay, treatment of gum disease and oral surgery procedures. Dental lasers use non-ionising wavelengths, and are therefore safe to use on all patients, including pregnant women and those with heart conditions.

Implantology

Lasers used in implant dentistry can treat all dental tissues, including tooth, bone and gum. They are categorised as hard or soft tissue lasers.

Guided implant applications

Soft tissue lasers are used to open gingival tissues. Laser treatment reduces bleeding, pain and the need for post-operative stitches. It also limits the effect of surgery on the blood supply to local tissues, which can promote healing.

Hard tissue lasers are able to penetrate the bone, creating space for the implant. Again, the laser limits the effects of surgery on the blood supply, leading to implant healing, a reduction in pain, bleeding and swelling.

Direct implant placement

In some cases, lasers can be used to place an implant directly following tooth extraction. By using the laser to create an ideal space for the implant, blood supply can be minimally affected, leading to increased implant and bone integration.

Bone grafting prior to implant placement

Peri-implantitis is a gum disorder that sometimes occurs through poor oral hygiene following implant placement and can result in loss of the implant. Lasers can be used to treat it, by cleaning and disinfecting the surface of the implant and the bone in order to promote healing.

Treatment of peri-implantitis

More uses of laser

Decay removal

Lasers can effectively be used to remove tooth decay without risking the removal of healthy tooth tissue that may occur during traditional dental fillings. Laser treatment is often comfortable, and it may be possible to perform this without the need for a dental anaesthetic.

Root canal treatment

For successful root canal treatment, the root canal must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. This is often difficult due to the size of a root canal, presence of infection, remnants of nerve tissue and/or residual material.

A laser can effectively reach the most difficult and narrow parts of the root canal that would be difficult to reach using traditional hand instruments alone. It also means reduces the risk of root fracture through repeated hand instrument use.

Periodontal treatment

In periodontal treatment, affected tissues can be removed using a laser without the need for surgical intervention. The laser ensures minimal bleeding and may also promote bony repair, to replace bone lost due to periodontal disease overtime.

Smile design

In smile design, the aim is to achieve symmetrical and healthy gum tissue that complements the smile line and tooth shape. Lasers can be used to modify the shape and contour of the gums in order to achieve this, resulting in improved angulation and accuracy and minimal post-operative bleeding.

Surgical treatments

Laser is various bone and soft tissue surgery as it reduces the risk of post-operative complications including bleeding, swelling and discomfort.

Bony treatments include removal of impacted wisdom teeth and other more complex dental extractions. Soft tissue treatment includes removal of soft tissue anomalies, cysts and granulation tissue.

Tooth sensitivity

Tooth sensitivity can result is extreme discomfort. Along with treating the cause of the sensitivity, laser can be used to reduce the severity of the pain or discomfort.

Inlay and onlay applications

Lasers are used to clean the bonding surface of the tooth prior to cementation of an onlay or inlay. This effectively disinfects the tooth surface and may also improve the bond strength, increasing longevity of the onlay or inlay.

Dental cyst treatment

Dental cysts may be treated with advanced laser techniques, by full removal size reduction. If necessary, bone and foreign material may be removed/treated using the laser, reducing common post-operative complications including bleeding, swelling and recurrence.

Frenectomy

A prominent frenulum can cause gingival recession and may lead to a midline diastema. With today's laser technology, a simple frenectomy can be performed comfortably in a short time, without bleeding or swelling.

Pediatric dentistry

As lasers use non-ionising light, they are safe to use in all aspects of children’s dentistry, including removal of decay and frenectomy. Particular benefits for children include reduced discomfort, bleeding and swelling.

Herpes

Soft tissue lasers can be very effective in the painless treatment of a cold sore. Treatment success depends at which stage the treatment is performed in relation to when the virus first appeared. The laser can reduce the frequency of cold sores and the severity in which they appear.

Nightlase treatment

Laser snoring treatment (usually 3 sessions of 20 minutes) can be a successful way to treat snoring, without the need for any surgical intervention.

Low level laser treatments

This form of laser treatment is used to promote healing within damaged or infected tissue. This includes treatment of painful jaw joint resulting from tooth grinding, activating bone healing after bony surgery and treatment of discomfort during orthodontic treatment.

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