Dental lasers have revolutionized modern dentistry by offering accurate and less invasive solutions that are typically done with a conventional method. In general, lasers are employed in the treatment of periodontitis, oral surgical procedures and aesthetic treatments, thus they improve the patient’s comfort and the dentist’s work. With the expansion of the dental laser market, the technology keeps evolving to bring precision, speedy healing and various treatment options to oral care.
The Rise of Dental Lasers in Oral Care
Dental lasers have gone through a significant transformation in terms of their accuracy, safety and user-friendliness since they were first introduced in the late 20th century. The need for less invasive procedures has been the main factor behind the market growth. Among 350 dental professionals, approximately 15.4% of dental surgeons are laser users and 75.7% of them are interested in the technology. Nevertheless, the implementation of such technology is still hindered by expensive prices, the sensitivity of the procedure and the risk of infection.
Dental Lasers for Gum Disease Treatment
Treatment of gum disease, which is a major health problem worldwide, is perhaps the most significant application of dental lasers. The diseases of the gums, which include gingivitis and periodontitis, are the major causes of damage to the gums and supporting bone structures; thus, close intervention is vital for their prevention. With dental lasers, the removal of the diseased part can be done very precisely without harming the healthy tissue; thus, the recovery becomes faster and more comfortable. Besides that, these instruments reduce the bleeding and stitch necessities thus the patients’ satisfactions are greatly improved.
Laser-Assisted New Attachment Procedure (LANAP)
The LANAP is a frequently done laser operation that helps to resolve periodontal disease. The technique, which is a breakthrough in medical technology and has been approved by the FDA, utilizes only one wavelength of light to cut away the damaged tissue that is also infected, and it promotes the regrowth of healthy gum tissue at the same time. Since the doctors can use LANAP to locate the diseased parts only, it is a revolutionary method that disrupts the traditional gum surgery techniques in which much tissue is cut, and hence the bleeding is profuse. Consequently, a patient’s recovery will be characterized by less pain, a shorter period of healing and a lingering feeling of well-being in the area affected.
Benefits of Laser Gum Treatments:
- Reduced bleeding: The use of laser tech coagulates the blood vessels during the operation, thus the bleeding that is less than half of that which is visible in the traditional open flap method is minimized practically to interruption.
- Reduced discomfort: The patients, in most cases have less pain and post-surgical discomfort compared to traditional surgical methods.
- Faster recovery: Because there is very little trauma to the area surrounding the tissue, healing is faster and the recovery time is shorter.
- Precision: The extreme precision of the laser system is what allows for the highly targeted treatment thus less damage to the healthy gum tissue.
The periodontics care has been revolutionized by the use of lasers and the evidence shows that patients have better long-term results when compared to the conventional treatments.
Laser Applications in Soft Tissue Surgery
Besides laser treatments for periodontitis, dental lasers are also employed in soft tissue operations to remove benign growths, reshape gums and treat oral injury. They provide a precise, less invasive procedure; thus, bleeding is reduced, the healing is sped up, and the damage to the surrounding tissue is minimal. The accuracy of this method improves the comfort of the patient and the recovery time is also shorter as compared to the traditional surgical techniques. So, lasers have therefore become an indispensable instrument in both therapeutic and cosmetic soft-tissue dentistry.
Gum Contouring and Cosmetic Dentistry
Where there is a desire for a beautified look, dental lasers are being used more to perform gum contouring operations. The laser technique for trimming gums is a method of very accurate removal or lightening of the excess tissue in the gums to get a more even and symmetrical gum line. This method is specially designed for people with “gummy” smiles, i.e., a situation where an excessive amount of gingival tissue is visible during smiling. Dentists, by employing lasers, can carry out these operations with less pain and quicker recovery than the traditional methods; therefore, it is a great part of cosmetic dentistry which retains the improvement of the smile without the need for invasive surgery.
Teeth Whitening with Lasers
One of the trendy cosmetic dental procedures that people go for today is laser-assisted teeth whitening. In contrast to traditional whitening methods which only use bleaching agents and laser whitening speeds up the process and can therefore show the results straight away. In this case, a whitening gel is first put on the teeth then a laser is used to activate the gel, thereby making the whitening effect stronger. The laser precision is the most uniform unit activated, thus achieving consistent results. Besides that, laser-assisted whitening reduces the sensitivity, thereby decreasing the irritation of the gums and enamel caused by the use of the traditional technique.
Advantages of Laser Whitening:
- Faster results: Most of the time, the result of a laser whitening is visible within a shorter period if compared with traditional methods.
- Precision: With lasers used in dental procedures, the treatment can be done only in the areas that need whitening and most importantly the results would be of the same intensity throughout the whole treated area.
- Less sensitivity: The researchers state that some patients may even feel a soothing effect on their gums during laser whitening while others report that they do not experience any hypersensitivity of their teeth.
A Growing Market for Dental Lasers
Dental lasers are increasingly being utilized in modern oral care, which explains their growing role in this field. The rising demand for dental laser devices is attracting a lot of dental practices to invest in this technology, as it brings many benefits to the practice such as increasing the precision of the intervention, making the patient more comfortable and allowing for to performance of various treatments at the same time. The dental lasers market worldwide will boom in the next few years, due to technological innovations and the trend towards minimally invasive dental care.
Dental lasers are a major change to modern dental practices, presenting very versatile and effective solutions for most oral health problems. However, for instance, in the case of gingivitis or teeth whitening as well as gum reshaping, the laser allows very accurate and minimally invasive procedures, thus avoiding the traditional ones. According to Pristine Market Insights, with the expansion of the dental lasers market, the implantation of these devices in practices will be the consequent step; thus, patients will be treated in a quicker, more comfortable way and with better results. Thus, with the continuous improvements in laser technology, the coming times in dentistry will be even more efficient and patient-centered.