Laser Dentistry

We are pleased to offer laser dentistry to our patients. Our Solea CO2 laser is able to remove tooth decay for fillings and perform soft tissue surgery. We also use lasers to diagnose cavities, aid in TMJ pain relief, bleach teeth, relieve pain and promote healing of cold sores and apthus ulcers. Wow! That’s a lot that lasers can do.

There are many benefits to laser cavity treatments. Heat, vibration and pressure are the primary causes of discomfort associated with the use of the dental hand-piece, or drill. The laser uses light energy and water spray to cut hard and soft tissues. There is no contact with the tooth, and in most cases, anesthesia is not needed. It is a great benefit for a child not to have a numb lip after treatment. Many children bite their lip after treatment because they do not understand that the numb lip, when chewed or sucked will hurt later when it “wakes up”. This injury can take several days to weeks to heal. Also, since anesthesia is less likely to be used, multi-quadrant dentistry is more feasible and fewer appointments are needed.

Laser soft tissue surgeries include frenectomies for thick labial frenulums which may cause a space between the front teeth or gum recession, and lingual frenectomies to release tongue ties, re-contouring of the gums, and treatment of periodontal pockets.

Laser frenectomy for infants can aid in nursing when a heavy frenulum prevents a baby from latching. When the child is unable to latch properly, he or she cannot feed properly, and the mother often reports that nursing is painful. This results in the decision to stop nursing in many cases. We can help.