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Surprising Uses for Lasers in Dentistry
Cherrywood Dental • Oct 23, 2013
If you’ve been following our blog for any amount of time, you’ll know that we’re excited about laser dentistry. The things dental lasers allow us to accomplish while offering our patients improved comfort and more effective results are simply astonishing. But are you aware of all the tasks that are right for dental lasers to take on? This blog post from our Greenbelt team will mention a few of the more surprising jobs that dental lasers can do, all while lessening patient downtime time and enriching treatment results.
Ways our Practice Uses Dental Lasers
Dental lasers aren’t only right for hard tissue (tooth) applications; in fact, soft tissue lasers can be even more helpful for the ways they manipulate gum tissue. Soft tissue lasers help to cauterize wounds as they create them, providing treatment with less bleeding and discomfort. They can also kill bacteria as they work to ensure an infection-free environment. A few of the procedures patients may not expect dental lasers capable of include:
- Removal of aphthous ulcers – Aphthous ulcers, more commonly known as canker sores, are uncomfortable and unfortunate. Those with recurring canker sores experience ongoing frustration and pain. A soft tissue laser will remove a canker sore while sealing off the area, allowing for faster healing. Lasers are also right for removing other types of benign growths in the mouth.
- Gingival contouring – Those with excessive gum display feel self-conscious about their smiles, finding them overly gummy. A gingivectomy will cut a small amount of tissue away from your teeth, exposing more tooth and balancing your smile.
- Frenectomies – Some patients experience restriction of tongue or lip movement because of short bands of tissue attaching their tongues or lips to other areas of their mouths. A soft tissue laser will cut these bands, freeing up movement.
- Periodontal treatment (tooth root debridement) – Lasers’ narrow beams are ideal for reaching even deep periodontal pockets created between teeth and gums. They seek out the plaque and infected tissue in these pockets and remove them to aid in the return of periodontal health.
Even More Uses for Soft Tissue Laser Dentistry
View the full range of soft tissue laser applications at our Laser Dentistry page, and schedule an appointment if you’d like to experience this for yourself!