Advanced Dental Technology

It is one of the latest and most exciting technologies in dentistry. It can be used as an adjunct in many treatment procedures.

Laser is an extremely focused, narrow beam of light which may or may not be visible to the human eye. It has the ability to remove, shape or vapourize soft tissues (gums, tongue, cheeks). Lasers can also be used as a heat source to activate bleaching agents used for teeth whitening.

We use soft tissue lasers which are ideal for cutting into soft tissues and at the same time also sealing the open ends of the blood vessels. This hardly produces any bleeding and the post-operative healing is much faster than on excision by a surgical blade. You can see the results quite immediately and hence soft tissue lasers are beneficial for cosmetic procedures. The areas of application where soft tissue lasers can be used are:

Gingivectomy (Gum Contouring) – Lasers can be used to contour gum margins in accordance with the size and shape of your teeth and face. This leads to an enhanced cosmetic appearance. It is also used to remove the gum lining the tooth in order to either provide better access for restorations/fillings at the junction of gums and teeth.

Depigmentation of Gums - There is pigmentation of gums similar to pigmentation of face. This becomes more of a problem in people with show of gums on smiling. It can be very well addressed with depigmentation of gums by laser therapy. This treatment not only makes your gums close to natural shade from greyish-black appearance but drastically improves the holistic smile picture.

Mole and wart Removal - Moles and warts sometimes steal the beauty of your face. At Indiadens, we use lasers for mole and wart removal. It is a painless and bloodless procedure without any stitches and has highly esthetic results.

Periodontal Pockets – Lasers can prove to be a boon for people suffering from gum disease. It helps in thorough curettage and disinfection of gum pockets very effectively. There is no need for aggressive flap surgeries involving blade and stitches in most of the cases. Results are long lasting and promising.

Tongue Tie – When normal speech is affected due to restricted tongue movement, lasers can be used to release it surgically. It is a completely bloodless and painless procedure without the need for stitches. Faster healing with minimal antibiotics and painkillers is another advantage.

Disinfection During Root Canal Treatment – Lasers can be used to improve the success rates of your root canal treatment by eliminating microorganisms present in the infected root spaces (canals) of the teeth. It also removes any debris and smear layer inside the canals.

Mouth Ulcers – If you are suffering from ulcerations in mouth, lasers can help in bringing down the pain and induce faster healing of these ulcers.

Biostimulation – Low level laser therapy (LLLT) is being used as an adjunct to certain treatments. These lasers do not produce thermal changes on tissues but activate photochemical reactions without producing heat. This is found to be effective in accelerating wound healing, bone remodelling and repair, reducing pain and regenerating neural cells after injury. There are multiple areas of application of Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) for biostimulation: aphthous ulcers, herpetic lesions, post extraction sites, trigeminal neuralgia, paresthesia, lichen planus, tooth hypersensitivity and temporomandibular joint disorders.

TMJ Therapy - Laser physiotherapy/massage can help in bringing down the pain and discomfort in the acute stage.

Advantages of using laser treatment over regular dental treatment options:

• Patients lose significantly lesser amount of blood as compared to traditional surgical options
• Stitches are least likely required after a laser surgery
• In many cases, antibiotic regimen can be avoided
• Anesthesia requirement is also reduced
• Greater precision in treatment
• Laser sterilizes the tissue, reducing the risk of bacterial infection post treatment
• Faster healing of wounds has been observed with the use of lasers

Besides the fact that lasers cannot be used for every dental treatment, there is no possible disadvantage of laser therapy in dentistry.

Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) is a blood product made using the patient’s own blood. The clinician draws a blood sample from the patient then concentrates it using a centrifuge machine. It separates the different blood components into individual, concentrated layers that the clinician can use. The fibrin is a reservoir of platelets that will slowly release growth factors and cytokines, which are the key factors for bone regeneration and soft tissue healing.

Although several variations of this technology exist today, the generic concept in dentistry is the same — they use the patient’s own blood to enhance healing after oral surgery.