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Dental Lasers and Their Uses

Like so many things that most people over thirty once thought were only science fiction, lasers are now common place. Dentistry is no exception. As any Oakland dentist can attest, lasers are among the essential tools of the trade. Two companies which produce dental lasers are located in California.

Essential methods of treating a cavity and preventing its spread go back to the 1700’s. This method is simple: remove the caries and fill the cavity. Modern high speed drills which came into use in the 1960’s were the last great innovation in this method.

The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved the use of lasers for soft tissue procedures in 1995. It went on to approve their use for caries removal in adults in 1997 and children in 1998.

With some seventeen different dentistry functions now being performed routinely by laser tools there are two main types of these currently in dental offices. The first is the Erbium YAG for hard tissue and the Diode laser for soft tissue procedures.

Laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. The main advantages to the patient for the use of dental lasers is that they often require no anesthetic, cause less bleeding and result in less swelling than older techniques. Less of the tooth needs to be removed with a laser than is removed when a dental drill is used. The main drawback is simply that they can’t be used on teeth previously filled with silver amalgam. The metal heats too much and can damage the laser tip.

The price of laser equipment is many thousands of dollars compared to a fraction of that for dental drills. Still the savings in anesthetic and reduced filling material can pay for the difference over the lifetime of the instrument for your dentist and in turn for you. There are many involved uses for dental lasers. Organizations for those utilizing laser dentistry and/or researching laser dentistry are numerous. While still fairly new, lasers are quickly gaining momentum as more advanced uses for them are being discovered every year.

In addition to removal of caries, lasers are also used in many cosmetic dental applications. They are used to cure resins in tooth bonding and crowns. They also restructure bone for the extension of crowns. Lasers can be used to remove unwanted gum tissue or to remodel them. They can be used to detect tiny amounts of caries so that decayed material is not inadvertently hidden under sealants or bonding material.

A new periodontal treatment by lasers received approval by the FDA in 2005. It was researched at Louisiana State University’s School of Dentistry. The FDA approved the Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure (Laser-ANAP). The new procedure uses a Nd:YAG variable pulsed laser. This procedure allows ligament attachment to root surfaces with remarkable results.

The American National Standard Institute(ANSI) regulation for the safe use of lasers (Z136.3) specifies that protective goggles need to be worn by dentists and patients during the use of lasers. So your dentist will ask you to wear a pair of goggles during your laser procedure.