Use Of Lasers Expanding In Dentistry
POSTED: 1:00 pm CDT June 7, 2005
UPDATED: 1:13 pm CDT June 7, 2005
(ARA) - Not so long ago, the first thing people would think of when you asked them what lasers are used for were the weapons in the Star Wars movies. Today, lasers are making a name for themselves not as weapons but as healing tools capable of modern day medical miracles, and in some cases, completely changing the patients' dental experience.
"Lasers are nothing new in dentistry," said Massachusettes dentist Dr. Jack Rosenberg. "They've been used for the past 15 years for some procedures, but recently have become important for everything from filling cavities to whitening teeth, but it seems like every day, we come up with new applications that are helping patients' visits to the dentist become much more comfortable."
One thing Rosenberg and his colleague, Dr. Steven Spitz of Smileboston Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry, get credit for is using a laser in place of a scalpel and drill to prepare the mouth for dental implants, the titanium posts that support artificial teeth. Traditionally the placement technique required multiple painful surgeries over the course of the year.
Each time, dentists would numb the patient with Novocain, and then use a scalpel to cut away the bone structure in the jaw and soft tissue in the mouth before attaching the implants to the bone. The combination of cutting and stitches after the procedure caused inflammation and pain. Recovery time would range from a couple of days to two weeks each time.
"With the Waterlase MD laser we use, the laser energy charges the water molecules to do the cutting while at the same time numbing the area around the tooth. All the work necessary can be done in a single day and without the bleeding, pain or swelling patients would experience with the old technique," says Dr. Spitz.
He goes on to say the Waterlase is "The most profound enhancement in dental technology in decades and is paving the way for the next generation of better, more comfortable dentistry. Not since the electric dental drill was introduced in 1875 and Novocain was invented in 1905, has there been a more important development in dentistry. It has really opened the world of dentistry to a whole new set of people."
Like Linda Lordan, 51, of Boston. She lost several teeth to a childhood illness, but afraid of the pain surgery would cause, didn't do anything about it until her dentist told her about the Waterlase procedure. "It was really amazing. I felt no pain or discomfort from the beginning to the end," she says. Lordan recently had two implants placed by Spitz and plans to get more done in the near future.
According to a recent survey, many patients treated with the Waterlase system reported no discomfort during the procedures. From traditional fillings to dental implants, the Waterlase is helping to make dentistry better.
The World Clinical Laser Institute estimates that three to five percent of U.S. dentists now use lasers, and the numbers are growing every day. Many laser dental procedures are covered by dental insurance just like traditional procedures. Talk to your dentist about how laser dentistry can benefit you. To learn more, log on to www.laserdentistry.com.
Courtesy of ARA Content
"Lasers are nothing new in dentistry," said Massachusettes dentist Dr. Jack Rosenberg. "They've been used for the past 15 years for some procedures, but recently have become important for everything from filling cavities to whitening teeth, but it seems like every day, we come up with new applications that are helping patients' visits to the dentist become much more comfortable."
One thing Rosenberg and his colleague, Dr. Steven Spitz of Smileboston Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry, get credit for is using a laser in place of a scalpel and drill to prepare the mouth for dental implants, the titanium posts that support artificial teeth. Traditionally the placement technique required multiple painful surgeries over the course of the year.
Each time, dentists would numb the patient with Novocain, and then use a scalpel to cut away the bone structure in the jaw and soft tissue in the mouth before attaching the implants to the bone. The combination of cutting and stitches after the procedure caused inflammation and pain. Recovery time would range from a couple of days to two weeks each time.
"With the Waterlase MD laser we use, the laser energy charges the water molecules to do the cutting while at the same time numbing the area around the tooth. All the work necessary can be done in a single day and without the bleeding, pain or swelling patients would experience with the old technique," says Dr. Spitz.
He goes on to say the Waterlase is "The most profound enhancement in dental technology in decades and is paving the way for the next generation of better, more comfortable dentistry. Not since the electric dental drill was introduced in 1875 and Novocain was invented in 1905, has there been a more important development in dentistry. It has really opened the world of dentistry to a whole new set of people."
Like Linda Lordan, 51, of Boston. She lost several teeth to a childhood illness, but afraid of the pain surgery would cause, didn't do anything about it until her dentist told her about the Waterlase procedure. "It was really amazing. I felt no pain or discomfort from the beginning to the end," she says. Lordan recently had two implants placed by Spitz and plans to get more done in the near future.
According to a recent survey, many patients treated with the Waterlase system reported no discomfort during the procedures. From traditional fillings to dental implants, the Waterlase is helping to make dentistry better.
The World Clinical Laser Institute estimates that three to five percent of U.S. dentists now use lasers, and the numbers are growing every day. Many laser dental procedures are covered by dental insurance just like traditional procedures. Talk to your dentist about how laser dentistry can benefit you. To learn more, log on to www.laserdentistry.com.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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