You’d be hard pressed to find someone who isn’t at least a little nervous when it comes time to visit the dentist, particularly if they require any procedure more complex than a simple check-up. After all, the thought of needles and drills certainly doesn’t encourage a feeling of relaxation.
At Smile Solutions we offer our patients a way of avoiding any such anxiety, with laser dentistry.
One of the most exciting technological advances in dental care in decades, laser dentistry can treat a wide range of dental problems, from gum disease to teeth whitening, and it does away with the use of hand-held instruments like scalpels and drills and any discomfort associated with them. Lasers direct an invisible energy beam onto problem areas and allow practitioners to efficiently treat decayed teeth, enamel and gums. At Smile Solutions, your suitability for laser dentistry will be assessed, in consultation with you, by one of our registered specialist periodontists.
What are laser fillings?
The term laser fillings refers to the use of laser technology to target and remove decay before a tooth is filled. This technique means needles and drilling are usually not required. A drill may still be needed to remove amalgam if the tooth is being re-filled, but as lasers are effective in reducing sensitivity, most patients won’t require a needle before this procedure. Lasers are also more accurate than conventional drills, removing only the decayed part of a tooth and leaving enamel intact; in addition, they do not cause the tiny cracks that conventional drilling can cause. In most instances, a laser filling procedure takes approximately the same time as a conventional filling, and unlike conventional fillings it can be carried out in one visit.
What is laser gum surgery?
With the use of laser gum surgery, most soft tissue procedures that would normally be performed with a scalpel and local anaesthesia can now be carried out more quickly and virtually pain-free. Often there is no need for stitches, so healing can happen much faster. As an example, a cosmetic gum lift across the front six teeth that is carried out using laser requires less than half the treatment time required by conventional surgery. It can be achieved with little or no bleeding or stitches, and post-operative painkillers are usually not needed.
So next time you’re due for anything more than a dental check-up why not ask your dentist about laser dentistry?