Finding A Great Dentist

An Overview Of Laser Dentistry Applications

6 May 2018

Kenzi Thompson

A laser is a type of light energy that is typically intense and narrow; laser dentistry is the use of laser energy in dental procedures instead of traditional dental instruments. Here are some of the treatments that laser dentistry may help with.

Reshaping Dental Gums

Some people have too much gum tissues or oddly shaped gum tissues that bother them. For example, your teeth may look smaller than they are if most of their lower parts are covered by gum tissues. Laser dentistry can help you trim the gum tissues so that most of your teeth can show or so that you have aptly shaped gums.

Performing a Frenectomy

A frenectomy is a minor oral surgery that involves cutting and trimming the frenum to reduce its size; it can be performed by traditional surgical techniques or by laser techniques. The frenum is a fold of tissue that connects different parts of the body to each other. When it comes to the mouth, the typical frenum attaches the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. In some cases, the frenum may encourage gum recession of dental gaps by pulling at the gum tissues.

Whitening Teeth

Teeth whitening is one of the most common cosmetic dentistry procedures, and it is fortunate that it is also one of the techniques with which laser dentistry can help. In this case, it is not the actual laser that whitens your teeth; your chosen bleaching product still does the work. Rather, the laser acts as an accelerant by speeding up the reaction of the peroxide, which is the main ingredient in most dental bleaching products.

Desensitizing Teeth

Some teeth are too sensitive to external stimuli that they make it almost painful to open the mouth or eat and drink hot and cold things. The hypersensitivity is typically caused by loss of the protective enamel, which opens up tiny powers on the teeth and allows you to feel the irritants on your teeth's nerves. A laser can be used to fill up the tiny pores and deaden your hypersensitivity.

Cutting Diseases Oral Tissues

Lastly, a laser can also be used to cut away diseased or infected oral tissues, such as gums, more effectively than traditional surgical knives. It may be necessary to cut such tissues for further examination (this is what is called biopsy) or just to clean up the mouth and prevent the spread of disease.  

The above are just a few examples of the dental problems that laser dentistry may help with. The next time you are consulting your family dentistry office, ask them about laser dentistry and its applications.

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