Laser dentistry instruments provide dentists with a narrow, highly intense beam of light that they can use to improve their approach to treating everything from infected tooth roots to partially erupted wisdom teeth. One of the most promising things about laser dentistry is that it can be an invaluable part of making the dentist’s office a less frightening place for people who have phobias that are related to dental treatment.
Pain reduction
For many people, the major cause of dental fears is linked to fear of undergoing intense pain. Thankfully, laser dentistry appears to cause less pain due to a diminished need to apply pressure during procedures such as tooth decay removal and root canals. As a result, undergoing treatment that involves laser dentistry may slowly reduce the level of fear felt by an anxious patient.
Reduced need for anesthesia
Another common dental fear revolves around the numbing injection that is given before a major dental procedure. With laser dentistry, there is a reduced need for anesthesia, and in a large number of cases it is found that an anesthetic is not even necessary. Whether you are afraid of the needle or worried about having a bad reaction to the anesthetic, laser dentistry eliminates these fears.
Elimination of the drill
If the idea of being exposed to a dental drill makes you feel terrified, laser dentistry may help you to feel calmer, as no drill is used in most laser dentistry procedures (with the exception of filling procedures, which may still require a drill in some cases). Many patients who absolutely hate the heat, pressure and noise of a drill will find laser dentistry to be minimally stressful in contrast.
Quick and easy biopsies
If your dentist notices some potentially worrying changes in your mouth and wants to investigate the possibility of oral cancer, laser dentistry can be used to perform a biopsy, removing a very small sample of tissue that will be examined and tested for cancerous cells. This removal takes very little time and is unlikely to cause much discomfort.