No one wants to hear that they have a cavity. Even after taking good care of your teeth and gums and sticking to regular dental visits, you can still find yourself with a cavity or two on occasion. For most people, cavities are not especially uncomfortable, but the thought of undergoing the procedure to correct the problem is stressful.
Traditionally, dental professionals have used drills for treatment of cavities. Over the years, drills have become faster and easier to use. There are minimal risks to the procedure and most dental offices continue to use them because of the low cost of treatment.
The treatment is routine enough that most times your dentist can correct the issue the same day, but it’s not always pain-free. Using a drill to remove the cavity before filling it can be painful, particularly for someone with sensitive teeth.
With the rising use of laser technology in dentistry, your dentist may offer an alternative option to using a drill: laser dentistry. Laser treatments work by using intense light energy to perform very precise dental procedures. The light beam is very small which allows your dental professional to have control over it.
This tool allows dental professionals to perform a procedure without concern about damaging surrounding teeth or tissue. Aside from the precision, the tool is relatively painless with minimal blood loss. Additionally, the lasers can eliminate tooth decay, prevent dental infections, and remove soft tissue.
Because using a laser reduces pain, there is no need for anesthesia most of the time. This means that you can skip the groggy or numb feeling that normally follows dental procedures. You can get back to work or continue the rest of your day without pain. The precision of the laser actually reduces the vibrations that you would normally feel if your dentist were to drill into your teeth. This allows patients to feel at ease during the procedure.
This new treatment also allows you to have several procedures done at once, because you don’t have to worry about pain or recovery.
Still, there are downsides to laser dentistry. While it has advanced over the years, laser dentistry still has limitations. For example, laser dentistry cannot be used to correct cavities on teeth that have already had a filling and it cannot fill cavities between teeth. It also cannot polish or shape the filling.
If you’re interested in learning more about laser dentistry, or treatment for cavities, schedule an appointment with Miracle Smile Dentistry office today.
