How LASER Dentistry Can Work For You

In this brave new age, LASERs have become synonymous with cutting edge technology. They have many uses—everything from reading the information on a DVD to communicating at super-high bandwidths over long distances to ultra accurate surgical procedures.

Even right here in La Mesa, LASERs are used as an integral part of many a well-rounded dental repertoire to keep your teeth, gums and heart healthy. LASERs were first approved by the FDA for dental uses in the 1990s. They are excellent for dentistry because they target bacteria and unhealthy tissue while leaving the uninfected tissue alone.

LASER is short for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. A LASER emits a thin, intense beam of nearly monochromatic visible or infrared light that can travel long distances without diffusing. The photons involved in the emission process all have the same energy and phase so that the laser beam is monochromatic and coherent, allowing it to be brought to a fine focus.

This "thinness" is what allows dental practitioners to get to the root of the periodontal problem without causing a lot of collateral damage to the surrounding tissue. The LASER is guided to the source of the infection deep within the pocket with a fiber optic filament.

It is attracted to pigmented tissue (i.e. the tissue that has become discolored due to chronic infection). As the LASER clicks its way around the gum tissue, it is eradicating bacteria that might otherwise find their way into your heart and brain via the circulatory system.

Tiny leaky blood vessels leach mouth bacteria into other parts of the body where they can be very destructive. Diode dental LASERs can also be used to shorten the length of time a person plagued with chronic cold sores or canker sores has to suffer.

By getting rid of the bacteria, the sores last for a few days instead of weeks and may be prevented entirely if caught early enough.

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