What Is Laser Dentistry?
Lasers have made their way into every aspect of our daily lives, including dentistry offices. Dr. Garza uses lasers for soft and hard tissue operations, including the removal of decay and the recontouring of a gummy grin.
The wavelength of diode lasers is optimal for soft tissue operations since it is absorbable by water and hemoglobin (the oxygenating protein in the blood). This enables the diode laser to precisely cut, coagulate, ablate, or evaporate soft tissue. Lasers for hard tissue are fast transforming decay removal, caries diagnosis, and other operations involving hard tissue.
Dr. Garza employs lasers for these procedures:
- Cavity detection
- Tartar removal
- Dental fillings
- Gum surgery
- Dental implants
- Teeth whitening
- Removal of benign tumors
Laser Dentistry Benefits
For one thing, laser dentistry has some benefits over traditional dentistry. Overall, these benefits may include:
- Minimal or no anesthetic requirement
- Little to no bleeding
- Shorter duration of treatment
- Decrease in bacterial infections
- Reduced postoperative discomfort and swelling
- Reduced surrounding tissue injury
- Reduced requirement for drugs or antibiotics following treatment
Am I A Candidate For Laser Dentistry?
There are no restrictions on who may receive laser dentistry. Particularly for gum repair, lasers can significantly improve the overall procedure. We feel that everyone is a good candidate for our soft tissue laser treatments, whether they have gum disease or wish to fix a gummy grin. Everyone should have access to the laser’s benefits, ranging from its ability to reduce bleeding and discomfort to its disinfecting properties. There are no disadvantages compared to standard root planing, scaling, and recontouring gum methods.
On hard tissue, lasers can replace the dental drill, which can induce anxiety in certain patients. The laser is also extraordinarily successful at removing all decay and disinfecting a tooth. Additionally, lasers produce the ideal surface for attaching composite resin fillings.
How Are Lasers Used in Dentistry?
Many dental issues can be treated using lasers, which have been around since 1994. Lasers are used during root canal procedures to reshape the gums and remove bacteria—surgical excision of the lesion or a biopsy. For cancer screening, lasers can be used to extract a small sample of tissue (known as a biopsy). Lasers can also be used to treat canker sores and eliminate lesions from the mouth.
Fotona Laser
No need to fear the dentist anymore! Dr. Garza uses the same state-of-the-art Fotona Laser that he teaches with.
The Fotona is the greatest laser available today! This is the only laser with dual functionality. It has an ND/YAG laser for soft tissues and an ER/YAG laser for hard tissues such as bone and teeth. Our arsenal also contains a diode laser for minor procedures such as bacterial eradication, removal of painful lesions, and hygiene. This series of lasers enables Dr. Garza to conduct any Laser procedure in most cases without anesthesia. Anxious adults and children are better off without shots. With the Fotona Laser, fillings and other treatments are performed without discomfort.
- Perio/Gum surgery
- Skin/Wrinkle reduction
- Lip enhancement
- Nightlase/Airway enhancement
- LBR/Infection control
- PIPS/Root Canal disinfection
- Venous/Vein reduction
- Tooth sensitivity reduction
- Herpes/Ulcer pain elimination
- Cosmetic gum sculpting
Liplase
Liplase is a three-minute laser technology designed to augment and reshape the lips. Why would one inject plastic? Forget fillers and needles. The Fotona Laser encourages the growth of your own collagen! It is known as “Neocollagenesis.” The lips are augmented in a single treatment.
Smoothlase
Smoothlase is a laser technique used to remove or reduce wrinkles. It causes the creation of new collagen or neocollagenesis. The Fotona laser accelerates the growth of your own collagen. There is no need for injections of artificial plastic “filler.” We get better results and no needles!
Types Of Laser Services Offered
It is essential to recognize that different dental treatments necessitate the use of distinct laser kinds. The two most prevalent forms of dental lasers are:
Hard-Tissue Lasers
Lasers designed for cutting hard tissues are utilized to precisely shave teeth and bone. Consequently, they are frequently used to shape teeth for composite bonding, remove minute quantities of tooth material, and replace dental fillings.
Soft-Tissue Lasers
In contrast, soft-tissue lasers can destroy bacteria and stimulate the rebuilding of tissues. This type of laser is frequently used by periodontists to treat the gums in these situations.
We also utilize different types of lasers to examine the inside surfaces of teeth in order to discover cavities and other internal tooth concerns.
In general, numerous individuals prefer laser dentistry.
With soft-tissue laser operations, patients have also reported a significant reduction in discomfort and edema. Due to the accuracy of the laser beam, which causes minimal harm to surrounding tissue, we are able to do multiple operations in a single session, resulting in fewer dental visits.
Laser Dentistry Results
While the end results, in terms of having a cavity filled or a gummy smile recontoured, are basically the same, the means of getting there with the aid of laser technology can really help our patients. These are some of the benefits of Dr. Garza’s use of lasers for his patients:
- Decreased need for sutures with gum procedures
- Minimal bleeding, as the laser energy instantly cauterizes the incision
- Can eliminate the need for anesthesia in some procedures
- The risk of bacterial infection either starting or not being fully removed is lessened with lasers, as they sterilize the area
- Incisions heal faster
- Procedures create less damage to surrounding tissues
- Tissue addressed regenerates more efficiently
Laser Dentistry Risks
The risks involved with the use of hard and soft tissue lasers is very small. Dr. Garza has extensive experience and training with this technology, and he is thrilled to improve his patient care with it.
Is Laser Dentistry Painful?
Although it is easy to imagine lasers from a science fiction film, the energy used by dental lasers has nothing to do with those lasers. Lasers make operations like gum contouring significantly less painful than traditional approaches using a knife and stitches. As lasers rapidly close the incision, sutures are typically unnecessary. In comparison, this makes recuperation straightforward. When Dr. Garza utilizes his hard tissue laser to eliminate decay, it does not cause the tooth to vibrate as a dental drill would. This vibration might cause postoperative pain and discomfort. Additionally, lasers allow Dr. Garza to preserve more of the good tooth structure than when using a dental drill.
While lasers cannot be used for all procedures and in all instances, when they are appropriate, they offer less pain and better results than many conventional treatments.
We at Dr. Garza are dedicated to making your visit to our Gilbert office as convenient and pleasant as possible. We use cutting-edge technology and the most state-of-the-art methods to accomplish all of your dental goals. Schedule an appointment today!