How to Treat Cavities With a Laser

While cavities are a major dental problem, many people fail to seek proper treatment for a variety of different reasons. Some people are afraid to go to the dentist for fear of the drill, anesthesia and pain. Others may not even know they have cavities that need attention. The latest innovations in laser dentistry address both of these problems and effectively treat cavities.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Laser dentist

1. Recognize the symptoms of a cavity. Tooth sensitivity or pain, discoloration and bad breath are all signs that you may have a tooth decay problem.
2. Visit a dentist for a proper examination. You can find a qualified dentist via a service such as 1-800-DENTIST (see Resources below).
3. Have your teeth evaluated by a laser cavity detector. This technology uses laser light to identify tooth decay with far greater efficacy than the traditional pick method. Laser cavity detectors can identify even the smallest patches of tooth decay when only a fluoride treatment may be needed to correct it.
4. Choose a laser instead of a traditional drill to remove tooth decay that requires a filling. Lasers can be used to vaporize tooth decay and prepare enamel for the filling.
5. Expect your dentist not to provide anesthesia when using a laser instead of a drill because lasers are typically painless.
6. Recognize that not all cavities can be treated with a laser. Dentists cannot use a laser to treat large cavities that require a crown, cavities in teeth that already have a filling and cavities between teeth.

Tips & Warnings

• Not all dentists have made the transition to incorporating lasers into their practices. To find dentists that use lasers, search the directory of laser dentists at Docshop (see Resources below).
• Lasers are not exclusively used in dentistry to treat cavities. To learn about other ways lasers are used in dentistry, consult sources like Laser Dentistry in America (see Resources below).
• More healthy tooth is preserved with laser use over the traditional dental drill.
• Laser use in dentistry does not yet have the American Dental Association (ADA) Seal of Acceptance. The FDA, however, has approved it for safety.
• With some cases, the dental drill is still needed to refine certain parts of the filling procedure.
• Procedures that use a laser instead of a drill are often more expensive to offset the cost of the laser, which is many times more expensive than a drill.