In this modern day and age, there are constant innovations being made in the world of medicine that allow for a greater degree of precision than were ever possible before. One such innovation is the use of lasers in dentistry, which increases the dentist’s ability for meticulous effectiveness while working on a patient’s incisors. Laser dentistry may be especially appealing to those who are usually terrified of attending a dental appointment, as the utilization of lasers can help minimize the amount of damage caused to the tissue surrounding the teeth, causing less pain to the patient.
When people think of lasers, the first thought that comes to mind is often that of some futuristic space weapon, obliterating all that appears before it in a spectacular flash of light. While these lasers will, in fact, obliterate the problems in your mouth, they are perfectly safe and of a much smaller variety than anything envisioned in film and television today. There are two different types of lasers used in dental work: hard tissue and soft tissue lasers. The hard tissue laser utilizes a wavelength that is highly absorbable by the calcium phosphate found in teeth, allowing it to precisely cut through the tough material of your pearly whites and remove small amounts of the tooth’s structure to shape the teeth for composite bonding and other work. Soft tissue lasers use a wavelength that is more easily absorbed by the water and hemoglobin in your gums, making it a perfect tool for killing bacteria and other similarly delicate proceedings. It is also often used for the reshaping of gum lines, enabling the dentist using the laser to give you that perfect smile you had always envisioned.
There are also a great deal of benefits associated with the use of laser dentistry. Not only is it a more precise method for operating on the mouth, it also carries with it a reduced risk of pain during the procedure, making the use of anesthesia an option rather than an absolute necessity. It also minimizes the damage to the surrounding tissue by helping the blood to better coagulate, negating the need for sutures in some cases and ensuring that the road to recovery is a short one. Finally, the lasers help to kill bacteria while the procedure is ongoing, helping prevent infections and other problems in the future.