Laser Dentistry Is At The Forefront of Technology

Laser dentistry is at the forefront of emerging technologies that are making dentistry far more palatable for people who are immensely afraid of visiting the dentist. For a large portion of the population, the idea of visiting the dentist makes them break out in a cold sweat. Over the years, these numbers have accumulated to where significant portions of the American adult population would rather live with cavities, dental decay, and even more serious conditions than visit the dentist. Laser dentistry is effectively working to change the perception of a dental visit and also the fears of these kinds of people so they can get the treatment they need and deserve.

Dental Drills Contribute to Dental Anxiety and Fear

In studies conducted across the nation, specifically addressing the idea of dental fear, it has been revealed that the dental drill is one of the leading causes of dental fear in patients. In one specific study conducted at a dental university in Japan, it was found that the brains of people who have intense anxiety about a dental visit react uniquely to the sound of dental drills. These people responded just as strongly as if they were actually in the chair waiting for treatment, even though they were not in a dental chair and a dental drill was nowhere near them at the time of the study. The amazing thing about laser dentistry is that it virtually eliminates the need for the use of a dental drill. This is good news for people who have intense anxiety about dental visits, tied specifically to the dental drill and other equipment used in dental procedures. If a laser dentistry procedure can be done completely in the absence of a drill, there is a good chance we can help eliminate the phobias of a large percentage of the population.

Laser Dentistry is Pain-Free

Another significant advantage of laser dentistry is the fact that it has virtually no discomfort associated with it. Ironically, in studies, it has been shown that 75 percent of patients claimed to experience no pain at all when undergoing regular dental treatment. This is not surprising given the range of modern tools available that are used to ensure that the patient experiences no discomfort. And yet the majority of patients who do not want to visit the dentist or procrastinate about making an appointment state that as the major reason why they do not want to visit the dentist. With laser dentistry, there is virtually no discomfort associated with the treatment at all. This is because laser dentistry uses a laser light beam and water, which fuse together to remove decay, tissue, old fillings, and other things that need to be removed without causing damage to the tissues itself. This revolutionary technology can be used to try to whiten discolored teeth, alleviate the symptoms of gum disease, fight gum recession, and use the laser to remove the decay from a bad tooth so it can be properly prepared for a filling.

Visit Us for Laser Dentistry to Treat Gum Disease

We can treat your gum disease using laser technology. This is a comfortable and convenient way for us to restore your gums to excellent health and since it is non-invasive, you do not need to worry about discomfort.

Why You Might Prefer Laser Dentistry Practices Instead of Traditional Dentistry Tools

Laser dentistry practices offer more precise and efficient routes to complete many common dental procedures. Laser dentistry techniques are continually growing and improving, resulting in more successful and quick dental treatments. Thanks to the precision of laser dentistry tools, highly specific areas of focus can be accessed without the potential of damaging surrounding tissues. If you have dental phobia, dislike traditional dentistry tools, or you just want to try the most efficient and discomfort-free solution to dental problems, laser dentistry practices can offer safe and comfortable treatment options that will correct infections and dental cavities quickly and successfully.

Pros of Laser Dentistry Practices Over Traditional Dentistry Tools

    Shorter healing times
    Quicker, suture-free soft tissue treatments
    Minimal need for anesthetics
    Minimal bleeding and swelling due to the accuracy and cauterization that high-energy lasers provide
    Less chance of infection because the laser sterilizes tissues during the treatment
    Laser dentistry treatments can regenerate tissues
    You may spend less time in the dental chair due to the effectiveness of lasers
    You can relax more easily since you won’t be hearing unsettling drill noises
    Laser dentistry practices keep children calm
    Laser dentistry treatments can seal pain receptors, so your teeth become less sensitive

What Laser Dentistry Techniques Are Used For

Cavity Detection and Treatment

Laser dentistry techniques allow dentists to detect cavities sooner than they could with traditional dental tools. Newer lasers can prepare a cavity site for treatment and provide accurate dental fillings with little to no local anesthetic injections. While placing a filling, lasers will kill bacteria so the cavity cannot re-develop under the new fillings. Some filling materials may not be compatible with lasers, but we can discuss these options with you when you visit.

Gum Tissue Corrections

Laser dentistry techniques are now used to combat gum recession. Lasers can help regenerate soft tissue to repair damaged gums after gum disease. Lasers are also able to gently reshape soft tissues to disguise misshapen gums and help them to become stronger and provide more coverage. In addition to correcting problems associated with gum recession, lasers can expose more of your natural teeth, so you do not have a noticeable “gummy smile.”

Gum Disease Treatment

Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, can be successfully treated by laser dentistry practices. Many dentists prefer to use lasers for gum disease treatment, as they help maintain as much healthy tissue as possible while traditional dental tools often damage healthy tissues while they remove infected tissues. The level of sterilization laser dentistry practices provides also limits the spread of bacteria associated with gum disease, so you are less likely to experience a relapse of infection.

In addition to these areas of laser dentistry that are popular today, lasers are also used for teeth whitening, to remove tumors and cold sores, and in rare cases, lasers can be used to treat problems associated with Temporomandibular Joint Disorders. For more information about why you may be interested in receiving laser dentistry care, schedule an appointment with our office. As with all techniques, lasers may not be appropriate for every dental problem you have, but we can work with you to find the most comfortable solution possible for any dental ailments.

What is Laser Dentistry, How Does it Work, and How Can it Help Me?

 Laser dentistry is the way of the future.  Based in modern medical science, a laser is a device that emits a narrow and very intense beam of light that neither diffuses nor spreads out. When focused at close range, these beams act on tissue. Laser dentistry employs this beam to shape or even remove soft or hard tissue. While this may sound bizarre or even painful, in certain procedures, lasers have several distinct advantages over more conventional forms of dentistry.

1) Lasers are Precise: Because lasers are precision instruments, a laser dentist can, with great accuracy, remove unhealthy tissue, without doing any damage to the surrounding healthy tissue. Some procedures may not even require sutures.

2) Minimize Bleeding: The high-energy light helps to coagulate blood, thus reducing bleeding.

3) Lasers Speed Up Healing Time: because the high-energy beam sterilizes the area, the risk of bacterial infection is reduced which speeds up the healing.  This is one of the main benefits of laser dentistry since it allows you to feel normal, faster.

4) Lasers Reduce The Need For Anesthesia: A laser dentist has much less need to use anesthesia because lasers can often be used in place of painful drilling and incisions.

5) Lasers are Quiet: While this may not sound like a technologically important point, the sound of a conventional  drill often makes patients very uncomfortable and anxious.  When using lasers, our patients are more relaxed and comfortable in general.

Lasers and Gum Disease

Lasers were approved by the FDA in the early 90's and are fast becoming the instrument of choice in a number of dental procedures. Laser dentistry is especially effective in treating gum disease, most notably Gingivitis and Periodontitis.  Since we specialize in using lasers to treat gum disease, many people visit our office that are under the care of a general dentist, but are interested in a faster and more comfortable treatment.

What you should know about gum disease.

Gingivitis happens when there is an inflammation of the gums, caused by bacteria and plaque buildup. Typically the gums are red,  inflamed and bleed during tooth brushing. While,  characterized by redness and swelling, chronic and untreated gingivitis leads to Periodontitis, which is a far more serious condition.

Periodontitis is when the gum recedes from the teeth, forming pockets that collect debris. Plaque spreads below the gum line, and as the pockets become infected, the bacteria begin to destroy the connective tissue that holds the teeth in place. The teeth get loose and eventually fall out. Periodontitis is the primary cause of tooth loss in adults.

Gum disease is primarily caused by poor oral hygiene that leads to the buildup of plaque. However, are a number of other factors, including hormonal changes that can occur during pregnancy and puberty, etc. can cause gum disease. Also included are certain medications, illnesses that affect the immune system, and a family history of gum disease.

Prior to laser technology, treating periodontal or gum disease was a matter of deep cleaning the pockets of all plaque and tartar, which harbor the bacteria, along with a course of strong antibiotics. In more advanced cases, the procedure could be classified as surgery. However, all too often the periodontal disease came back, which caused many to wonder if the disease could ever be fully and finally cured. However, lasers have considerably simplified and improved the treatment by vaporizing diseased tissue, and killing the bacteria that caused the disease. Since there are no strains of bacteria that can resist the laser, you can be certain that your gums will start to heal.  By using laser dentistry, we can even help healthy gum tissue to surround your teeth like it once did.  This is a revolutionary way to treat this age-old problem so call our office to learn more.

How Does Laser Dentistry Make a Difference?

If you have sensitive teeth, laser dentistry is an excellent option for getting dental treatments done.  It can also be used to help anyone that is having dental work performed and wants to minimize their recovery time and stay comfortable during treatment.

In our office, we use lasers primarily to treat gum disease.  Typically, patients with gum disease need to have the bacteria removed from underneath their gums.  Most dentists will do this by using a traditional metal dental tool to scrape away the bacteria.  This can irritate already sensitive gums and create a high level of discomfort.  By using lasers, we can zap the bacteria to kill it and do so without irritating the gum tissue.  The lasers won't burn the gum tissue or increase how sensitive they are.  This means that our patients can leave the office feeling better instead of worse off.

Another benefit to laser dentistry is that the lasers can be used to help stop the bleeding.  It is common for gums to bleed during dental procedures because of how easy it is to irritate them.  Dental lasers can stop the bleeding during treatment so that patients don’t have to wear uncomfortable gauze for hours, and the recovery time can be sped up.  It is easier to get dental work done when you know that your recovery time will be fast, and there will be minimal disruption to your life.

The recovery time is also reduced because as the laser cuts it also sterilizes the area.  This means that the overall risk of infection is diminished.  This is important for patients that struggle from a low immune system or are diabetic and have difficulty fighting infection. This reduces the risk of complications after the procedure is over.

Patients that are worried about going to the dentist also like the fact that lasers are quieter than a metal drill or other tools would be.  For people that have dental anxiety, the quietness of the procedure can help to ease some of the common dental fears.  When you combine this with the fact that the procedures are completed faster than they are with traditional dental tools, it makes it much easier to schedule a dental appointment.

If you have visited your normal dentist and found out that you have gum disease, you should schedule a consultation with our office prior to undergoing treatment.  We always recommend that patients understand what their options are and learn as much as possible about their condition and how to solve it before going forward.  It is important to compare the treatment methods offered by a traditional dentist and those provided by laser dentistry.

Ask questions and compare the process, recovery time, and risks associated with each prior to making a decision.  We are confident that you will find laser gum treatments are far more effective and more comfortable.  Once you are ready, schedule a procedure so that we can treat your gum disease and help you to start feeling better quickly. 

Learn How Laser Dentistry Makes Dental Procedures Easier and Painless

We use laser dentistry to improve the oral health of our patients and to make their recovery time faster if a procedure needs to be performed.  Laser is the modern alternative to the traditional metal tools used by dentists.  These same metal tools have been used for decades with the process and results being the same.  We live in the technology world where you can access the Internet from virtually anywhere, cook food in seconds, and find information with the click of a button.  In this day and age there is no reason to visit a dentist that uses the same tools that were used on your parents. 

In our office, we leverage technology to help our patients to have a more enjoyable dental experience that is free from pain and discomfort.  Dr. Pechak likes using lasers because there is no cutting involved no stiches, and less bleeding.  This makes it easy for patients to recover from a dental procedure.

Laser dentistry can be used for a variety of procedures.  One of the ways that Dr. Pechak uses a laser light is to remove bacteria from the gum pockets.  Typically, the bacteria would need to be scraped out which can be very uncomfortable.  With lasers, the bacteria are eliminated without any discomfort or heat.  Since our procedure doesn’t use heat, there is no risk to the healthy gum tissue either.  Eliminating the bacteria is the first step in treating gum disease because it allows the body to naturally heal itself and the damage to be reversed.  If the bacteria are left alone, any other treatments will not be effective.

After the bacteria have been eliminated using laser light, an ultrasonic scaler is used.  With this device sound waves break up tartar and plaque that are on and around the teeth. This is far more comfortable than using a metal dental tool to scrape off the plaque.  This step is also important for allowing the gums to heal.  Once the plaque has been broken up, we use the laser again to finish the cleaning process.  The benefit to our clients is that we never physically touch the teeth and gums with a tool.  The laser light and ultrasonic scaler can complete the entire treatment and do so in a non-invasive way that is entirely comfortable.  The results are a healthy set of teeth and gums which will allow for new bone growth.

If you want a non-invasive, painless gum treatment – visit Dr. Pechak.  He is the only Periodontist in the area that has an FDA approved laser for gum treatment.  He has been voted as a local favorite for gum treatment and specializes in these procedures.  This increases the likelihood of you receiving the results that you want, and your gums healing faster than if you visit a less experienced dentist.  Keep in mind that when you experience laser dentistry, you can have your gum disease treated but done so in a way that doesn’t hurt, and there is no recovery time.

Laser Dentistry is the Modern Face of Dentistry

Technology has made laser dentistry possible.  This new and improved approach to solving dental health problems is both less invasive and less painful for dental patients than traditional dentistry.  People can get out of the dental chair and back to their lives faster with this new and improved approach to patient care.

Dental lasers are used for multiple things including:

• Dental surgery
• Treating gum disease
• Removing plaque
• Enhance tooth bleaching
• Remove objects infected by tooth disease
• And more!

Laser dentistry is practiced by dentists that want to offer patients alternatives to traditional dental care.  Dentists must be properly trained in how to use a laser and apply it to each type of dental procedure.  Only select dentists offices offer this alternative to patients, so it is important to ask when making a first time appointment.

What are the benefits of laser dentistry?

The benefits are numerous with the overarching goal being to reduce pain and recovery time while improving the result of a dental procedure.  When lasers are used in dental surgery the need for anesthesia is decreased.  Lasers also prevent or decrease bleeding and swelling.  Dental procedures performed with a laser can also take less time than those conducted with traditional instruments. 

While this is a relatively new technology there are minimal health risks or concerns.  Patients are required to wear protective eye gear, along with anyone else that is watching or helping with the procedure.  A laser is quiet and can barely be felt.

Patients that opt for laser treatment typically experience a much faster recovery time than those undergoing traditional dental surgery or dental procedures.  When a laser is involved there is no need or little need for cutting gums and requiring stitches.  They are also extremely accurate, so only the infected or damaged area is touched by a laser, keeping the nearby gums intact. 

Laser Dentistry at an Office Visit

While lasers have had the greatest and most significant impact on how dental surgeries are completed, they are also used to make routine office visits more comfortable for the patient.  For example, a laser can be used in place of a drill or scalpel.  They can be used to detect cavities and quickly remove infected areas of the tooth.  When a patient needs to have a tooth repaired, a laser can help the material used to bond the tooth set faster.

There is more than one type of laser.  The lasers for soft tissue are used to treat gums, tongue, and cheek tissue.  They will often be used to ease the pain and swelling from surgery by sealing blood vessels.  Hard lasers, on the other hand, are used to treat teeth and bones.  They are most often used in surgery, to repair a filling, and to remove infected parts of the tooth.

The dentist needs to be trained and up to date on the latest laser technology in order to provide patients with the most effective laser dentistry.  This cutting edge technology can revolutionize your visit to the dentist and help you to feel better in no time.