The Future of Dental Lasers

By Lesley Ranft

Reviewed By: Donald Patthoff, DDS

• Laser Dentistry Basics

Traditional dentistry procedures may soon be quicker and more effective thanks to the growing popularity of laser dentistry. More dental offices around the world will use dental lasers as the technology continues to improve and the cost of the technology decreases.

Soon, dentists may use laser dentistry during a professional dental cleaning to remove tartar and as a replacement for the traditional root planing procedure, which is now done with a surgical instrument called a curette that may damage surrounding tissue. Eventually, laser dentistry could make it possible for dentists to access any part of a tooth, thus replacing the need for the traditional dental drill.

Hard and Soft Tissue Dental Lasers

A wide variety of lasers are used to diagnose, assist, and perform various dental procedures. However, we generally speak of two broad categories of lasers:

• Hard Tissue Lasers: The primary use of hard tissue lasers is to cut precisely into bone and teeth. Hard tissue lasers are often used to prep teeth for bonding, remove small amounts of tooth structure, and repair certain worn down dental fillings.
• Soft Tissue Lasers: Soft tissue lasers penetrate soft tissue while sealing blood vessels and nerve endings. This is the primary reason why many people experience virtually no postoperative pain following the use of a laser. Also, soft tissue lasers allow tissues to heal faster.

Types of Dental Lasers

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of a variety of hard and soft tissue lasers for use in dental treatment of adults and children alike. Because dental lasers boast unique absorption characteristics, they are used to perform many specific dental procedures.

For example, some dental lasers have a wavelength that is highly absorbed by hydroxyapatite (calcium phosphate salt found in bone and teeth) and water, making them more effective for cutting through hard tissue. Commonly used hard tissue lasers include the Erbium YAG, and the Erbium chromium YSGG.

Other dental lasers boast a wavelength that is highly absorbed by water and hemoglobin (oxygenating protein in red blood cells), making them more effective for soft tissue management. Commonly used soft tissue lasers include Neodymium YAG (Nd:YAG) and diode lasers, which may be used as a component of periodontal treatment and have the ability to kill bacteria and activate the re-growth of tissues. The carbon-dioxide laser, which minimizes damage to surrounding tissue, removes tissue faster than the fiber optic method.

In addition to the lasers used for cutting and shaping hard and soft tissues, other laser types are used for various purposes. Certain lasers are specifically designed to view the insides of teeth and cells using Optical Coherence Tomography, a non-invasive imaging technique. Other lasers provide energy and specific proteins that help move messages between cells to match the body's natural ability to use light spectrums to heal damaged cells.

Consult the Academy of Laser Dentistry for more information about the types and benefits of procedures performed in laser dentistry.

• Laser Dentistry Basics

[Updated May 2008]

Back to Top