Laser Applications In Dentistry

Laser refers to a monochromatic, flat and high-energy beam of light. Today, lasers are used in various areas of medicine for therapeutic purposes.

The advantages of using lasers are that no vibration is felt, no disturbing noise is made during operation, in most cases no anaesthesia is required, the procedure can be performed without bleeding, creates a sterile area in the working area, there is no sensitivity and pain after the treatment.

• LASER TREATMENTS IN DENTISTRY The laser can be used during cavity opening in carious teeth. Laser energy can be used to clean caries in all tooth tissues (enamel, dentin, cementum). Since the laser creates a sterile environment in the area of use, caries that may occur later is avoided. Less energy can be used in the carious parts of the tooth than in the hard tooth tissue. In this way, it is possible to clean only the carious tissue with a laser system whose power is adapted, without causing any changes in the healthy tissue.
• The laser is also used for gingivectomy or gingivoplasty when the gingiva is more visible than normal or the gingival shape is irregular. With laser surgery, the gingiva is cut without anaesthesia and then other procedures can be started without waiting for the tissue to heal.
• The purple discolouration (hyperpigmentation) caused by the increase in pigment of the gums is treated under anaesthesia by peeling with a scalpel under normal conditions. Laser pigmentation treatments do not require anaesthesia and the patient can continue their life without discomfort after the procedure.
• The laser can also be used to clean gum pockets. After deep gum cleaning with laser, gum pockets heal very quickly.
• LDF (Laser Doppler Flowmetry) is used to measure the vitality of teeth. This instrument, which determines whether the tooth has a blood supply, is an important way to test the vitality of the tooth.
• For teeth that require root canal treatment, care should be taken to disinfect the root canal. To prevent the development of a microbial infection in the root canal system or to eliminate the existing microbial infection, the infected pulp and dentin tissue are removed and the remaining empty canals are cleaned using chemo-mechanical methods. Antimicrobial rinsing agents reduce the bacterial load but cannot penetrate deep into the dentinal tubules. For this reason, chemo-mechanical methods, even when used correctly, may not achieve the desired improvement from time to time. In addition to these traditional methods, lasers are also used for root canal disinfection. It is believed that even bacteria deep in the dentin can be neutralised by lasers.
• Most benign pathologies that may occur in the soft tissue of paediatric patients can be treated by dentists. Laser therapy can be used as an alternative to knife cutting or electrocautery procedures. Some advantages of laser therapy in soft tissue compared to conventional treatments are as follows: It reduces the need for anaesthesia, provides haemostasis, eliminates the need for sutures, facilitates healing, has an antibacterial effect, shows anti-inflammatory properties and reduces the need for post-operative care.
• There are also areas of application for the laser in implant treatment. The laser can be used for immediate implant placement after disinfection of the extraction site after tooth extraction, for determining the implant cavity instead of a round drill and for opening the implant in the second operation. They can also be used when preparing the implant cavity with the guide device.

The laser is used in mucosal excision and enamel roughening to bond brackets to impacted teeth in orthodontic applications. In bracket removal, a laser can also be used to remove the composite.

 

How Can You Avoıd The Damage That Lasers Can Cause?

If lasers are not used properly by the doctor during surgery, they can cause some problems. The eyes and skin are the organs most often exposed to laser beams and therefore the damage often includes visual damage and skin burns. However, mechanical, electrical and chemical damage can also occur. Some measures should be taken to avoid these problems. We can list these measures as follows;

• Personnel using lasers should wear appropriate glasses
• A minimum viewing distance of 13 cm and a working time of 10 seconds should be observed.
• The smallest recommended power unit should be used for operation.
• All surfaces that reflect the laser beam in the environment should be eliminated.

In summary, lasers have a wide range of applications in dentistry, supporting conventional methods in many areas such as implantology and periodontology. Advantages such as an anaesthetic and bleed-free treatment option through the use of different lasers of different wavelengths, rapid wound healing after laser and shorter healing time compared to conventional methods in procedures such as tooth whitening should be considered. These have made the use of lasers indispensable for dental treatments.

We wish you healthy days