Laser Dentistry

• You're about to have your first experience with a new and excitingtechnology. LASERS. A million questions are probably going throughyour mind. Perhaps you've head about dental lasers on T.V. oron the radio. Just in case you haven't had the opportunity tolearn about lasers, I want to give you some basic informationand maybe even allay some of your concerns regarding dental laser treatment.
  
  
• Dental lasers are designed to assist the dentist in the treatmentof the gingival tissues ( gums ). They have been approved by theFood and Drug Administration for the use on gum tissue only. Wewill not, therefore, be using the laser on your teeth. Sometimein the near future there will be a dental laser specifically designedfor use on the teeth. But not just yet....
  
  
• The laser your dentist may use looks similar to the picturein the upper right hand corner of this page. Whenyou are seated in the operatory, one of the dental assistants willgive you a pair of safety glasses to wear, position the lasernext to the dental chair, and place a sterile laser tip in thesterilized handpiece. You will then be ready to go. Unlike thedental drill, there is no whining sound to disturb your sleepor to make you grip the sides of the dental chair. The only noiseyou will hear will be the slight hissing sound of the air jetthat is attached to the laser. According to most of our patients,this silent feature is definitely a big plus !
  
  
• Dental lasers can be used for a variety of treatment procedures.Depending upon the treatment needs, your dentist may use the laserfor several minutes or possibly for only a brief moment. However,even those procedures that require only a short period of laserusage, benefit from the many advantages of laser therapy. Bleedingis minimized, swelling is controlled and there is usually littleif any postoperative discomfort. For maximum comfort, most ofthe procedures do, however, require a local anesthetic. This willbe discussed with you prior to the beginning of the treatmentsession.