What Are the Benefits of Laser Cavity Filling?
August 25, 2016
With the growth of laser dental technology over the last few years, there have been a number of innovations to the ways that lasers can be used as a substitute for drilling when cleaning a cavity and preparing it for a filling. Now that laser dentistry is as fast as the alternative, it is easier to see its other benefits, the most important of which is patient comfort.
Fillings Without Anesthetic
It is rare for fillings that use traditional drilling tools to be performed without anesthetic of some kind, even if it is a local injection. When it does happen, typically it is because the cavity is shallow enough that the drilling is minimal. Laser cavity filling, on the other hand, typically operates without the need for anesthetic. This is because the laser’s use of concentrated light to clean the tooth and prepare the area does not have any of the vibration or impact that traditional drilling does.
Preserve More of Your Tooth
Since lasers are more precise than drilling tools by a large degree, using them to clean and prepare teeth for filling allows your dentist in Durango, CO, to preserve more of your natural tooth. This allows for a less invasive procedure, with more of the healthy tooth left intact at the end.
Other Laser Filling Facts
- The use of lasers reduces the production of microfractures in the tooth, leaving more of its natural structure intact.
- Studies supporting the use of laser cavity filling to reduce pain go back over ten years and include a landmark 2002 study from Japan that showed no pain in 68% of patients.
- Currently, only five percent of American dental practices offer laser dentistry to patients.
Call Us
If you are interested in exploring laser cavity filling options for your next procedure, contact us today to make an appointment with Dr. Miner.