A trip to the dentist’s in the past required a whole day of treatment and another extended period for recuperation. Coupled with this inconvenience was the pain which came with most dental procedures. Most people hence opted out of dental treatment and for homemade solutions instead for most of their dental issues and those affecting their kids. Well, thankfully dental care is far from what it was in the past thanks to technology.
Other than the comfort during treatment at dental offices nowadays, whether you’re in Fort Worth or New York, thanks to various forms of sedation, dental treatments are now faster and require minimal healing times. This is because of the use of lasers for handling most of the treatments which needed extensive surgical procedures and medication in the past.
The following are some of the applications of lasers in dental care.
Teeth Whitening
There is a range of homemade and store-bought solutions for getting rid of dental stains and giving you a bright smile. Most people pick these over professional whitening procedures since they consider the latter expensive. Laser tooth whitening is low cost, requires minimal treatment time and guarantees optimal and long-lasting results. Your teeth will be first thoroughly cleaned then a light-activated bleaching agent will be applied on them. This agent is activated with the laser leaving your teeth pearly white.
Crown Lengthening
This procedure comprises the reshaping of your gum tissue to extend your exposed tooth portion’s length. Crown lengthening is generally recommended if your gums overextend the teeth and make them look too small or short hence giving you a ‘’gummy smile’’. During treatment, lasers will be used to remove the excess gum tissue. Most people assume crown lengthening is designed for cosmetic use, but the procedure will also enhance the cleaning and functioning of your teeth by removing the excess gum tissue at the bases of your teeth.
Treatment of Periodontal Conditions
Gum disease marks one of the most common dental issues. Most people, unfortunately, disregard it until their gums are excessively weakened and their teeth start falling off. During the initial stages of gum disease, dental cleaning and antibiotics might treat the disease. In its later stages, however, surgery was traditionally the only treatment option. Dentists will nowadays use the bright laser light to kill the bacteria which causes gum disease and efficiently address the condition with no cutting.
Dental Cavities’ Management
Tooth decay was usually seen in children in the past, but nowadays it is equally prevalent among adult. Lasers can be used to kill the harmful bacteria which causes dental cavities. They are also used to cure and harden the filling material used to cavities.
Laser technology has revolutionized dental treatments. Compared to traditional treatments, they are now less painful, result in minimal post-operation downtimes and have less post-operation sensitivity. There are two types of dental lasers including hard and soft lasers. The hard lasers have a high wavelength which is highly absorbable by the water, salts, calcium, and phosphate in teeth and bones and are therefore used for treating issues with your teeth and jaw. Soft lasers, on the other hand, are used on soft oral tissues since they have a short wavelength.