Laser Dentistry: A Minimally Invasive Approach
to Dental Care
(Part 2)
A Brief History of the LASER
The laser is a relatively recent invention that’s actually already 65 years old. Amazing, isn’t it? It only became commercially available for dental use in the 1990s though.
Originally known by the acronym LASER (Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation), it’s any device that produces a focused beam of light with the following specific properties:
- It’s directional.
- It’s coherent (produces waves in phase).
- It’s highly monochromatic (has a single wavelength).
Theodore H. Maiman invented the first working laser on May16, 1960, in Malibu, California. It used a ruby rod with a flashlamp to produce its red-light pulse.
Then, in 1965, researchers discovered that the laser could vaporize tooth enamel, thus marking a significant step in its use in dentistry.
It’s both a new technology in that it’s still considered a state-of-the-art tool in modern times. But at the same time, it’s also vintage technology invented in the 1960s.
The First Commercially Available Dental Laser
The initial research on lasers focused more on their potential for various dental procedures, which includes the treatment of tooth decay, gum infections, and other oral health issues.
However, it wasn’t until the 1990s that dentists got a hold of the first commercially available dental laser (the pulsed Nd: YAG laser designed for soft-tissue applications).
Regardless, the main aim of this 1960s tech is to improve the outcomes of dental operations while also ensuring your comfort by being minimally invasive.
In other words, laser technology is a proven innovation that has been around for a long time yet still seems quite advanced because of how effective it is in dental treatments.
The Benefits of the Laser Dentistry Approach
Laser dentistry is a key component of minimally invasive dentistry (MID), which focuses on preserving as much of your natural tooth structure as possible.
Its applications include cosmetic dental whitening, tooth contouring, deep cleaning, root planing, scaling, and even gum or benign tumor surgery (among other procedures).
- Minimally Invasive Nature: Dentists can precisely target and remove tissue with minimal impact on surrounding areas with their dental lasers, so only what needs removal is affected.
This reduces the need for excessive drilling or cutting. This also leads to less trauma in the tissues, thus ensuring a more comfortable or even relatively pain-free experience for you.
- Improved Precision: Dental lasers are so precise that they can cut through the thinnest and smallest tissue sections possible to minimize damage to adjacent structures (nearby teeth and gums).
For example, femtosecond lasers can achieve 10 μm (micrometer) precision in tooth structure ablation.
In contrast, the most accurate surgical cut is usually measured within millimeters or even within 0.1 mm. For context, 0.1 mm is 100 micrometers. A millimeter is 1,000 micrometers.
- Bacterial Reduction: These dental lasers can also kill bacteria in the treated area, thus (proverbially) killing two birds with one stone. You don’t need antiseptic to treat the tiny wounds made by these lasers.
Dental lasers can even reduce bacterial populations by using focused light energy to directly target and destroy bacteria on a cellular level. In other words, a laser can incidentally kill bacteria near the wound or specifically target them.
- Faster Healing: Dental lasers allow you, the patient, to heal faster and suffer from less bleeding and post-operative pain. Minimal damage means faster healing time every time.
Only the absolute minimum of organic material is removed with laser dentistry, so your surrounding tissues only need to heal a little bit of damage compared to traditional or manual dentistry techniques.
- Reduced Pain and Discomfort: Lasers are experts when it comes to reducing pain and discomfort during various dentistry procedures, which ensures you’ll deal with fewer post-operative issues than normal.
Your gums are less likely to swell, and your tooth nerves are less likely to pulsate in pain after they’ve been operated on by your dentist with laser-precise technology.
- Bleeding Control: Lasers can improve tissue coagulation, which helps control bleeding during procedures. It basically cauterizes and seals your blood vessels when doing precision cuts.
The laser tool’s ability to cauterize minimizes blood loss during dental procedures involving the gums and periodontal pockets, which also helps prevent the need for extensive stitching or medication.
- Reduced Anxiety: Dental lasers are quiet in nature while being more precise than even the steadiest of human hands. Therefore, if you’re anxious about getting a root canal, these lasers can help assuage your fears.
Most anxiety issues stem from past trauma, childhood phobias, or projection of insecurity onto others that can be alleviated by logic, reason, and the reassurance that laser technology can significantly reduce human error during operations. (To be continued)