Local Dental Blogs - Philadelphia, PA

Laser Dentistry: Its Benefits and Uses

Dental technology advancements allow dentists to provide you better care with less pain and discomfort than ever.

Nowadays, you have plenty of advanced dental treatment options available for a variety of uses. Among the most known is laser dentistry.

What is Laser Dentistry?

Laser dentistry is any dental procedure where the dentist uses a laser to provide treatment. It’s used for a wide range of dental conditions.

How it works is simple: the dentist projects a thin yet powerful beam of light to address issues with your teeth or mouth. Doing so mitigates heat or discomfort that other procedures may cause.

Uses of Laser Dentistry

Laser dentistry has many uses. Following are some of them (and this is by no means an exhaustive list):

  • Accelerating teeth whitening
  • Gum reshaping
  • Other gum issues
  • Infection treatment
  • Mouth sore pain relief
  • Tooth decay removal
  • Cavity detection and removal
  • Crown lengthening
  • Tissue removal for sleep apnea treatment
  • Removing small amounts of tooth enamel

As you can see, dentists can use laser dentistry to address issues that affect nearly all structures inside the mouth, including artificial ones.

Now, not all lasers are the same. Each laser operates at a different wavelength, and different wavelengths have distinct effects on tissue. Consequently, some lasers are more suited to soft-tissue procedures, while others work best for hard-tissue.

Benefits of Laser Dentistry

Less pain: Pain is on everyone’s minds at the dentist. Fortunately, laser treatment causes next to no pain in many cases.
Reduce anesthesia: Minimal pain and discomfort means less anesthesia, if any, needs to be used.

Less bleeding and faster hearing times: Lasers are extremely precise, minimizing damage to tissue. This leads to minimal bleeding and faster healing. Additionally, there’s less of a chance you’ll need stitches after treatment.

Less chance of infection: Lasers are nothing more than light, meaning they’re sterile. They also sterilize the area in question. Chances of infection are much lower.

Are Dental Lasers Safe?

Any lasers sold in the US are approved by the FDA before use in a dental clinic. Dentists also must be trained on the specific model of laser they will be using to treat their patients. Additionally, they can only use it for the purposes the laser was designed for.

Also, lasers can be harmful to your eyes. Dentists should provide you with special glasses to shield your eyes as you undergo laser dental treatment.

If you have any concerns about your dentist’s training on their specific laser device, you can always ask about it.

Do you think you could benefit from laser dentistry services? Absolute Smile would be happy to help you. Our laser dentistry services in Philadelphia are among the best. As a new patient, you get a FREE consultation, so schedule your appointment today!

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