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Have you heard about laser dentistry? It is an innovative dental treatment with a wide range of applications. Perhaps your dentist already has a dental laser? If not, they may well soon join the numerous dental clinics, including Century Dentistry Center, that have already invested in this technology, and whose patients are already enjoying a more comfortable experience in the dental chair.
Many medical professionals now use lasers, which are simply focused light beams. The energy from these light beams is used to alter tissue shape or remove it in small amounts. Also, the energy generated can be useful in other ways, for example, helping to sterilize treated areas. A dental laser is a small, hand-held instrument that fits comfortably into the mouth, and your dentist can use it in a variety of ways.
Some dental lasers are designed only to treat soft tissues, while others can treat both hard and soft tissues, allowing them to cut into and reshape bone and teeth. As you can imagine, there is a wide range of applications for laser dentistry.
At Century Dentistry Center, our dentists and hygienists use the Picasso Lite+ soft-tissue dental laser, designed for minimally invasive treatment of gum and soft-tissue surgical procedures and periodontal treatments.
The Picasso Lite+ laser operates at a wavelength specifically suited for soft tissue procedures, allowing our team of dentists, led by Dr. Rayhan, to treat the gums with exceptional accuracy while preserving healthy surrounding tissue. This technology is commonly used during procedures such as gum contouring, dental implants, cosmetic dentistry, treatment of periodontal (gum) disease, and to help reduce bacteria during the laser-assisted root canal treatment.
Because the laser simultaneously cuts and seals tissue, patients experience less bleeding, reduced discomfort, and faster healing times than with traditional methods. In many cases, treatment can be performed with little or no anesthesia, making the experience more comfortable—especially for patients who feel anxious about dental procedures.
We offer laser dentistry across our NYC locations in Midtown Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.
Dental lasers are increasingly used when treating gum infections and especially for more severe cases of advanced gum disease or periodontal disease. Often, advanced gum disease will cause the gums to pull away from the teeth which creates deep spaces called periodontal pockets in between the tooth and the gum. These periodontal pockets can harbor infection and are tricky to clean. Usually, they are cleaned during a process called scaling and root planing, which mechanically removes the infection in these pockets. Using laser dentistry in conjunction with scaling and root planing can increase treatment efficacy because the laser energy helps eliminate far more bacteria than can be achieved manually. It’s a therapy often used to maintain good gum health in people with advanced gum disease that has become chronic.
If you have a severe tooth infection and require root canal therapy, your dentist may use a dental laser in conjunction with more conventional techniques. Just as with treatment for gum disease, the laser energy is highly effective at eliminating bacteria deep within a tooth’s root canals. Perhaps your smile is a bit gummy-looking? A gummy smile exposes too much gum tissue whenever you smile or talk and can often be remedied by reshaping the gums.
Because the dental laser is so precise, it’s a much easier way for your dentist to recontour your gums accurately. A dental laser is an ideal way to carry out this procedure because it’s much more comfortable too, and your gums will heal more quickly afterward.
Dental lasers can be used to take biopsies, for example, if your dentist spots an area of tissue in your mouth that requires further investigation, a laser is a far more comfortable way of taking a biopsy. If you suffer from cold sores or canker sores, a dental laser can be used to treat them. It can aid healing and will reduce the tooth pain produced by these sores. Usually, if you do have a canker sore, it’s best to seek treatment from your dentist as soon as you begin to feel that tell-tale tingling sensation, just before the canker sore appears.
Many conventional dental techniques require a local anesthetic and will use a scalpel to reshape tissues. With laser dentistry, you are far less likely to need a local anesthetic because treatment is far more comfortable. Also, the energy produced by a dental laser has an effect called thermocoagulation so that if your dentist needs to cut any small blood vessels, these are immediately sealed through this process, preventing bleeding and decreasing the risk of infection.
The energy produced by a dental laser is also very useful for eliminating bacteria that cause disease. It’s extremely precise, too, so if your dentist needs to reshape your gums or remove severely damaged or infected tissues, using a dental laser will ensure only those tissues are removed. This ensures that all healthy tissue is left intact. Sometimes dental lasers are used to prepare teeth for a filling, and this can be a far more comfortable process because the laser doesn’t produce any vibrations and, of course, it eliminates the dreaded sound of the dentist’s drill. This can be highly advantageous when treating young children, who are often very nervous or anxious about receiving treatment.
Usually, treatment with a dental laser is quicker and smoother. Afterward, you can expect healing to be faster and more comfortable with fewer side-effects such as swelling. This is because you won’t be left with an open wound, as you would with more conventional dental procedures, and where a scalpel would typically be used. Because you aren’t left with any open wounds, the risk of infection is reduced.
Hard- and soft-tissue dental lasers use different wavelengths because soft and hard tissues absorb specific wavelengths of light in very different ways. Dentists must alter the wavelength of light according to the tissue being treated, and sometimes the light will even pulse. Laser dentistry is extremely sophisticated, yet is very safe as it has been used for quite some time now.
Hard tissue lasers are designed to cut through bone and especially the calcium phosphate found in bones and teeth. Your dentist can use a hard tissue laser for detecting any signs of tooth decay, preparing teeth for dental fillings, and for reducing tooth sensitivity.
Soft tissue lasers use a light wavelength that is absorbed by water and hemoglobin, a molecule found in blood. These types of lasers are ideal for cutting into gums and for simultaneously sealing the exposed blood vessels. Your dentist will use a soft tissue if you need a gum reshaping procedure or any type of gum surgery. Soft tissue lasers can also be used in frenectomies, where the frenum is too tight and is restricting speech and possibly the ability to eat comfortably.
Schedule your appointment at Century Dentistry Center today to experience advanced laser dentistry in New York City with less pain, faster healing, and more precise results.
Century Medical and Dental Center is an accredited healthcare facility in NY that operates in accordance with Article 28, a public health law. This law regulates and recognizes accreditation for public healthcare facilities, ensuring they are licensed and operated correctly. By undergoing the Article 28 process and achieving accreditation, Century Medical and Dental Center demonstrates its commitment to meeting the highest standards of care.
As a multidisciplinary medical center, we have highly qualified doctors, nurses, and support staff who are working hard to provide the best medical care to patients in Midtown Manhattan, NY, Downtown Brooklyn, NY, including Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, Prospect Heights, Park Slope, Clinton Hill, Boerum Hill, Red Hook, and Bedford-Stuyvesant.