Laser dentistry is a domain where various lasers are used for dental procedures as a single treatment or as an adjunct to ongoing treatment.

A laser is a high-tech machine emitting a particular wavelength of light which depends upon the type of laser. This laser light can be used for various purposes like cutting, coagulating, healing, disinfection, teeth whitening or bio-stimulation. Lasers add great value to cosmetic and general dentistry by making the procedure painless, bloodless, quick and in most cases without injection. Dentists and patients mandatorily wear protective glasses during all laser dental procedures for protecting the eyes. 

Types Of Lasers

Most Dental Lasers are Class IV surgical lasers, except for nonsurgical lasers also known as soft lasers. Soft lasers are used in managing temporomandibular pain, trismus (difficulty in opening mouth), managing pain or even enhancing the healing process. Commonly use hard and soft tissue lasers are Diode, Nd:YAG, Er:YAG, YSGG, CO2 and KTP.

Some Common Uses of Dental Lasers:

• Single sitting root canal

  The success rate with a laser-assisted root canal treatment is as high as 99.6% unlike conventional root canal treatment where the success rate is less than laser-assisted treatment.

• Teeth whitening

  Teeth whitening gels with chromophores are used in laser teeth whitening. These chromophores have receptivity to specific wavelengths of the laser. When these lasers are used while teeth whitening, the results are fantastic and fast. This happens because the laser light acts as a catalyst and makes the process quick. This reduces chairside time and most importantly, it reduces contact time of the gel with the tooth. This reduces post-operative sensitivity. All these factors together make the procedure well accepted and favorite among patients.

• Cosmetic procedures

  Our teeth and gums are strongly interrelated. Only perfectly shaped gums can complement perfectly shaped teeth. In cosmetic dental procedures, lasers are used to sculpt/ trim gums (gingivoplasty) for better and pleasing aesthetic results.

• Managing bleeding

  Lasers are indispensable in managing bleeds post-extraction or cavity preparation. They improve visibility by making the work site clear and arresting any bleeding.

• De-pigmentation of gums (treating dark/blackish gums)

  Sometimes the dark pigmentation present on gums can be an aesthetic deterrent if your gums show when you smile. Although this pigmentation is mostly physiological, it can be very easily treated with laser with minimum fuss and no pain and all this, just in one sitting!

• Lasers for periodontal procedures (gum pockets)

  Lasers have been proved to be effective for periodontal pockets which are up to 5mm deep. They can be treated with great results with laser alone, and flap surgery can be avoided.

• GBR (Guided Bone Regeneration)

  We have seen wonderful results in treating vertical bone defects with the laser. 

• Other surgical procedures:

  Surgical procedures like OSMF (Oral submucous fibrosis), frenectomy, surgical excision of mucoceles ( small salivary gland tumor), managing tongue-tie (which poses a problem in speech) and operculectomies (wisdom tooth flap removal).