The use of dental lasers to treat both cosmetic and oral health concerns is one of the most significant advancements in modern dentistry to date. Lasers can help you complete your goals for treatment with minimal physical contact with your teeth and gums. Dr. Mark Griffiths, our skilled dentist, is constantly striving to maximize patient safety and comfort with progressive dental technology. Our team is thrilled to offer patients a more relaxing treatment experience with our cutting-edge BIOLASE® dental lasers.
- What is Laser Dentistry?
- Laser Dentistry Benefits
- Laser Gum Disease Treatment
- Laser Gum Recontouring
- Laser Dentistry For Cold Sores
What is Laser Dentistry?
Laser dentistry is the application of light energy to the soft and hard tissues of the mouth. These focused beams of light energy can be utilized in lieu of more traditional techniques to complete a range of treatment goals, such as eradicating gum disease, resculpting the gum tissue, and treating herpetic lesions (cold sores), among other uses. Ultimately, dental lasers can offer a more gentle and minimally invasive approach to treat certain dental conditions. At our Bankers Hill-area practice, Dr. Griffiths uses laser dentistry to address many different soft tissue challenges.
What are the Benefits of Laser Dentistry?
When compared to traditional tools and dental drills, laser dentistry can offer the following benefits during soft tissue procedures:
- Eliminates the need for scalpels or incisions
- Allows precise targeting of the soft tissue
- Decreases bleeding and swelling
- Enables a faster, smoother healing period
Dental lasers also have the ability to sterilize gum tissue around the treatment site, often lowering the chances of developing a bacterial infection. Due to the focused emission of light energy, lasers can also result in less damage to the surrounding tissues when compared to other techniques.
Laser Gum Disease Treatment
BIOLASE® dental lasers are frequently utilized at our practice to eliminate infected and diseased gum tissue. Gum disease treatment via laser therapy has the ability to target and remove inflamed tissues around a tooth, allowing Dr. Griffiths to cleanse the area below the gumline without as much bleeding, swelling, or discomfort as traditional periodontal treatment. Lasers can also assist in regenerating new, healthy tissue after the treatment site is sterilized. Best of all, laser gum disease treatment typically shortens the recovery period after treatment, leading to faster healing times.
Laser Gum Recontouring
In addition to treating oral health concerns, laser dentistry also has a number of cosmetic dentistry applications. Some patients who have a large or dominating gumline, commonly known as a “gummy smile,” seek gum reshaping treatment to improve the proportions of their smile. Laser gum recontouring can reduce excess tissue in the gingiva with minimal invasiveness, allowing patients to increase their tooth show and even out the aesthetic symmetry of their smile. Like laser periodontal therapy, laser gum recontouring can lead to less discomfort than more traditional techniques while accelerating the recovery period.
Treating Cold Sores With Dental Lasers
Among the many uses of laser dentistry is the ability to alleviate the pain and embarrassment of cold sores and canker sores. Often characterized by a tingling or itching feeling, these lesions can develop on the soft tissues of the mouth during times of stress or in response to a weakened immune system. In most cases, cold sores and canker sores take two to three weeks to heal naturally. However, dental lasers can dramatically reduce the healing time of a cold sore to help patients recover from an outbreak sooner than they would with topical treatment! During their appointment, patients should feel a warm sensation as the light energy targets and disinfects the lesion, often alleviating pain immediately. When treated with lasers, a cold sore typically heals within 24 to 48 hours.
To learn more about how laser dentistry can assist your dental treatment, please contact Griffiths Smiles to schedule a consultation or to speak to a member of our team.