Dental diode lasers, also known as soft-tissue lasers, are ideal for procedures that involve precision cutting or contouring of gums and other soft tissues. With a dental diode laser, the tissue separates gently and easily. Hemostasis (essentially, blood clotting) is achieved rapidly, and there is minimal post-operative swelling, reducing healing time for the patient.
Benefits of dental diode lasers
At Affinity Dental Sherwood Park, we use dental diode lasers for many soft tissue procedures because they greatly reduce the risks and discomfort of traditional scalpel and electrosurgery techniques, allow for quicker healing with less pain and increase the range of treatments we are able to offer.
In addition to precision cutting, dental diode lasers can be used to sterilize root canals, treat periodontal disease, uncover unerupted teeth, remove fibrous tissue and even whiten teeth.
The use of dental lasers is gentler than either electrosurgery or scalpel. Unlike electrosurgery, lasers generate little or no heat, and this reduces trauma on tissues and teeth. In dental implant procedures, lasers can be used to safely remove any tissue tags when the healing cap is removed—something that is not possible with electrosurgery due to the risk of the electrode contacting the metal implant platform and resulting in damage. Lasers can also be used to safely remove overgrown tissue around orthodontic wires and/or brackets.
The dental diode laser is also safe to use on patients with pacemakers, which isn’t the case with most electrosurgery units.
Contact Affinity Dental Sherwood Park today for more information about the technology in our office, including dental diode lasers.