Lasers: A Less Painful Way To A Lovely Smile

Cathy McCarthy recalls her childhood visits to the dentists as a not so pleasant experience.

"When I went to the dentist as a child, and it was a tough thing to want to go back all the time. You know, to know that you were going to hear that drill."

The drilling sound that gave her pause when ever she sat in her dentists chair has been replaced by a soft whirl, lightbeams and wave lengths.

Lasers are slowly changing the landscape of oral health.

Dr. Mitchell Lomke says, "laser technology is the only technology out there that actually kills oral bacteria."

And making a patient's visit to the dentist virtually pain free.

"I didn't feel any pain really, and my tooth feels normal." says patient Michael Doman.

Lomke says, "In many, many cases we do not have to use any local anesthesia. We're using a minimally invasive technique. We preserve most of the patients natural tooth structure when we repair a tooth. The advantage to the patient is the laser is absorbed into the diseased tissue. It is not absorbed into the healthy tissue, therefore."

Laser dentistry is not new. The FDA approved the use of the technology nearly a decade ago. However the Academy of Laser Dentistry says the $80,000 price tag for just one hard tissue laser is one reason dentists have been slow to phase them in. The A-L-D adds that only five to eight percent of dentists have been properly trained and certified to use the high-tech tool.

"Using photography, my clinical examination, the various hi-tech tools that I have, it's almost like, ahh, CSI investigator in a patient's mouth."

This self-professed tooth decay detective even uses the low density laser rays to correct cosmetic flaws.

"If a patient has a gummy smile,they have defective crowns or veneers and they need them replaced, instead of using the conventional technique we can take care of the same problem using the Diode lasers."

Lomke's patient Bruce Michelson embraces the benefits of the technology. "I think the recovery is quicker." Cathy McCarthy agrees. "Laser surgery just seems more streamlined and free of pain and hassle."

Dr. Lomke adds, "It alleviates the fear and phobias patients may have in coming to see the dentist."