Laser Technology Used In Dental Offices

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Laser Technology Used In Dental Offices

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The terms laser and dental hygiene may not be ones that you imagine being compatible but dental lasers have taken hold in the industry and many hygienists are using them to care for patients. Lasers have become the standard of care rather than an aberration. It’s been shown that since 2008, the use of lasers in the dental setting has more than doubled.

For some dental practices, using laser technology can change the way the practice approaches dental hygiene. For the patients, the benefits include fewer postoperative issues and less discomfort. Bleeding is decreased because the laser cauterizes as it works; tissue health is also increased because procedures are done much more quickly.

The science behind laser technology
Lasers are man-made, nondivergent electromagtic energy of one wavelength. A laser emits a single color of light (monochromatic) and is produced through the “excitement” of the atom, which then emits a photon that is the elementary particle responsible for the electromagnetic charge. The photon carries the electromagnetic radiation of the wavelength emitted from the laser and concentrates the beam of light. The impact a laser has on a patient’s mouth hinges on three items:

• The wavelength of the laser
• The area in which the laser light falls on the light spectrum
• The tissue the dentist is targeting with the laser

The wavelength of the light emitted is a parameter that the dentist cannot adjust on the laser; this technology comes in various wavelengths (measured in nanometers (NM) and the wavelength the practice purchases will depend on the procedures for which it will be utilized.

In addition to choosing a wavelength for the practice’s laser purchase, the dental practice will also make a determination on the light spectrum in which the laser will operate. Many lasers used in the dental field fall into the infrared area, a bit left of the visible light spectrum.

Dentists will need to determine whether the laser will be used in soft or hard tissue procedures. The light from the laser is absorbed differently in both of these areas. Light tissue work means the dentists will be using it on gums (as an example) rather than for cutting bone or removing decay from a tooth.

Be aware that all lasers produce heat and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean that the lasers must be used on the correct setting for the targeted tissue in order to produce results that aren’t harmful to the patient.

Currently the American Dental Association has not endorsed any particular laser system, however the lasers used in dental practices have been FDA approved for the various procedures.

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