High-Tech Laser Dentistry For Gum Disease and More

By Karl A. Smith, DDS, MS

Karl A. Smith, DDS, LLC

. http://www.drkarlsmith.com/

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High-Tech Laser Dentistry For Gum Disease and More

Lasers have long been the standard of care in medicine for many surgical and cosmetic procedures such as LASIK, wrinkle and hair removal and many others. Waterlase dental laser was approved for hard tissue dental procedures in 1998 and since has been cleared for numerous additional dental procedures. One such procedure now available with the use of the Waterlase dental laser is more effective and more comfortable periodontal therapy to help eliminate bacterial infections (such as gum and periodontal disease) in the gums and bone.

The idea is to kill bacteria while preserving the natural bone and gum tissue contours whenever possible. This results in the best outcome for the patient because the teeth remain covered with pink, healthy gum tissue instead of being “long and ugly.” Patients who have these infections can quickly recover periodontal health with few or no sutures (stitches) and very little discomfort. This is a dramatic improvement over older periodontal treatment techniques where a lot of good jaw structures were removed to “reduce pockets.”

Waterlase uses laser energy and a gentle spray of water to perform laser-assisted pocket reduction therapy as well as a wide range of other dental procedures without the heat, vibration and pressure associated with the dental drill. With many procedures, it's possible to use less anesthetic, and often no anesthetic at all.

With Waterlase your dentist can often get you in and out of the dentist chair faster, since it's less likely that you'll need an injection research shows that the vast majority of patients don't. It's nice to avoid that shot, isn't it? Not using anesthetic can allow your dentist to perform procedures that used to require more than one visit in a single appointment.

Heat, vibration and pressure are the primary causes of pain associated with the use of the traditional dental drill. Since cutting both hard and soft tissues (teeth and gums) with the Waterlase does not generate heat, vibration or pressure, many dental procedures can be performed with fewer shots, less need for anesthesia, less use of the drill and fewer numb lips. Additionally, using the Waterlase for gum procedures reduces bleeding, post-operative pain, swelling and the need for pain medication in many cases.

Dentists using Waterlase are able to remove tooth enamel decay (the hardest substance in the body), bone and gum tissue precisely while leaving surrounding areas unaffected. This conserves and allows you to keep more of the healthy tooth structure.