Dental lasers are modern treatments for gum problems. Dr. Christopher Banks uses soft tissue diode lasers to treat gum tissue. Lasers can treat hard tissue, teeth, or soft tissue, such as gums. Dental lasers use light energy or wavelengths to contour or cut tissue.
Laser dentistry treatments in our Washington, DC, dental office help prevent future dental problems and keep the gums healthy. We use dental lasers to make our cosmetic and general dentistry services less painful and more efficient.
The Benefits of Dental Lasers
Modern technology is advancing dentistry in many ways. One of the best innovations is laser dentistry, which is often used instead of a scalpel for various gum treatments. A laser beam is concentrated light energy, forming a precise treatment instrument. Unlike scalpels, the laser can precisely target only diseased tissue so it won’t impact healthy tissues surrounding the treatment area.
Laser dentistry is minimally invasive compared to using a scalpel. The treatment is more comfortable and less painful for the patient. Many patients don’t even require local anesthetics when getting laser dentistry. As it’s treating your gums, the laser seals off nerve endings, reducing the pain and sensitivity.
It’s an ideal form of treatment for patients who have dental anxiety. A scalpel is one of the tools that most commonly triggers patients with this condition. It also doesn’t have the noise like that of a dental drill, another common trigger.
Since laser procedures don’t require cutting your gums, there’s less bleeding during them. Like the nerve endings, the laser seals off blood vessels as it treats the area. There’s no need for sutures to close the wound, promoting a faster healing time. A dental laser activates the body’s healing process, meaning the area will heal even quicker. You won’t have as much swelling and discomfort, leading to a shorter downtime after the procedure.
Laser Dentistry Services in Washington, DC
One of the primary services in laser dentistry is a gingivectomy. This procedure focuses on removing gum tissue to expose more of the tooth. It’s often used for patients with gummy smiles, where the balance between their gums and teeth is off, showing more gums than teeth. This makes your teeth look small. You may also have uneven gums; some teeth look bigger or smaller than others. A gingivectomy can give you an even, symmetrical smile.
Sometimes, we may need to remove gum tissue to provide a better dental crown or porcelain veneer foundation. These treatments require a certain amount of tooth structure to ensure a good result. Exposing more of the tooth ensures that the restoration goes smoothly.
An ideal way to get a frenectomy is with a dental laser. Tongue or lip ties occur when a piece of tissue called the frenulum is too tight and restrictive. The frenulum connects your lip to your gums and the tongue to the base of your mouth. When it is too tight, you can have problems speaking or eating normally. With lasers, we can treat this condition without requiring a surgical procedure.
Lastly, laser dentistry can treat periodontal disease. When you get gum disease, bacteria irritate the gum tissue, causing infection and inflammation. Pockets develop between the gums and jawbone, accumulating food debris and bacteria. A dental laser can clean out these pockets, reducing the risk of spreading infection since it sterilizes the area as it treats it. If there’s damaged tissue, we can use a laser to remove those areas without impacting the healthy tissue in your mouth.
Treat Your Gums
Address excess gum tissue or diseased gum tissue with dental laser treatment. Contact Dupont Dental for comfortable treatment today at (202) 946-4720 or schedule your next dental appointment online.