Laser Teeth Cleaning
Lasers used to be looked upon as futuristic items, found only in the most highly advanced scientific technology. This is no longer the case, of course. These days, lasers can be found just about everywhere – possibly including your local dental office. There is a new type of laser treatment available at many dental offices that has many dentists and dental hygienists excited. No, this isn’t a whitening process; this is laser teeth cleaning.
Standard dental cleanings use a scaling technique. For this method, the dental hygienist uses tools to remove the scale – meaning the tartar and plaque – that has built up on the teeth over time. Everything is done by hand; therefore, the success and painlessness of the procedure depends in large part upon the skill of the technician. Deep teeth cleaning is also done by hand; scaling and root planing are done in combination in order to remove plaque and tarter both above and below the gum line. With laser teeth cleaning, there is no need for hand tools and there is actually no physical contact with the teeth at all. Patients are anesthetized prior to the procedure, so there is no pain at all.
When Laser Teeth Cleaning Can Be Used
Laser teeth cleaning can be used as a replacement for either standard or deep teeth cleaning. In many cases, dentists whose offices hold the technology decide to use it with patients whose teeth have not responded well to regular types of cleaning. Some dentists prefer to use this treatment with all patients as it is gentler and because its precision does not allow the possibility of introducing infection to the tissues surrounding the teeth when working on the teeth. Some dentists feel that laser teeth cleaning produces higher quality work and gives any patient greater comfort.
How Laser Teeth Cleaning Works
The lasers used in this type of dentistry are specifically made for teeth cleaning and for treating soft tissues in the mouth safely and comfortably. In order to use the laser device, a dentist or dental hygienist must be specially trained.
Laser teeth cleaning works by aiming the concentrated laser at the precise area to be treated. The laser performs deep scaling, and is even able to reach down into any periodontal pockets in order to break up and remove the tartar and plaque quickly.
Benefits of Laser Teeth Cleaning
Not all new technology is worthy of adopting; however, most dentists who have tried the procedure believe that laser teeth cleaning is one type of new technology that any dentist should be willing to try. This is because there are many benefits – both for the dental practice and for the patient. Here are just a few of the advantages of using this method:
- This method can be done more quickly than other cleaning procedures
- Patients experience little or no pain
- Continued laser use has been reported to stimulate bone growth in some patients
- Laser teeth cleaning increases resistance to gum disease in some people due to more effective bacteria removal
