It’s the standard weapon of science fiction stories everywhere: the laser. From stormtroopers to the crew of the Jupiter 2 in Lost In Space, laser weapons are universal in the fictional future! Made of focused light beams, lasers were first made in 1960 and have captivated storytellers and engineers ever since. The modern uses for lasers have grown in recent years, and every new advance is like something really straight out of sci-fi! One of the biggest advancements for us in the dental world has been the development of lasers that can be used on soft tissue. We use lasers for treating gum disease and can use them instead of scalpels for a lot of procedures that used to require cutting and stitches!
How Dental Lasers Work
Dental lasers can be made for use on soft and hard tissue, but at Shorewood Family Dental Care we only use soft-tissue lasers. Our diode laser system uses specially tuned beams that are designed to work exclusively on tissue the color of your gums. Missing our mark is impossible with these fine-tuned devices!
It’s amazing how well diode lasers can be tuned. We can actually adjust ours to work on certain shades of your gums and not others! This is ideal when treating an infected portion of your gums. We can even remove damaged tissue without any harm to the surrounding healthy portions!
Dental lasers interact with the water in your gum tissue to instantly vaporize it, which has another very beneficial effect. It instantly seals the wound! Unlike a scalpel cut where bleeding is profuse, a laser incision instantly heats the tissue and prevents bleeding and pain.
Not only is bleeding eliminating by soft-tissue lasers, but there’s another benefit as well. They kill off bacteria and viruses, almost completely eliminating the risk of secondary infection! With benefits like these it’s hard to come up with a reason for using a scalpel anymore!
What Can Dental Lasers Do?
At our Shorewood dentist office we primarily use our dental lasers for two things. Both treating gum disease and gum recontouring. Both procedures involve manipulation of gum tissue, a task perfect for our diode dental lasers!
Treating gum disease with a dental lasers reduces healing time, discomfort, bleeding, and secondary infection chances. This increases the rate of successful treatment and makes the initial experience much easier for you – and that’s what matters!
Our lasers can go below the gum line to clean out and sterilize infected areas. Thus leaving you with healthy periodontal pockets and gums that protect your teeth while looking great!
Gum recontouring can be done for several reasons, from reshaping gums after periodontal disease to eliminating a gummy smile. In the past gum recontouring could involve slicing, cutting, stitches, and painful healing, but not anymore! We can use our diode laser to expertly reshape your gums without exposing you to the unpleasant side effects of traditional oral surgery.
How Do Dental Lasers Benefit Me?
The answer to that question is pretty obvious: dental lasers make procedures quicker and easier, eliminate pain, reduce healing times, and kill bacteria that can cause secondary infections. Your treatment can be done with greater precision too – they’re an all-around amazing solution to the complications of traditional dental work!
As lasers continue to evolve and become stronger and more accurate we’ll continue to invest in them – they’re a great tool for us and for you! Isn’t is amazing the things we can do with just a beam of light, including lasers treating gum disease?! The future is here, so come take advantage of it at Shorewood Family Dental Care!
If you want to find out more about our dental laser technology, don’t hesitate to call us at 815-725-5991! If you’re ready to schedule an appointment you can do so by phone or by filling out our online appointment request form. We look forward to showing you the future of dental technology!
