Dental Lasers-A Gen-X Technology

Abstract

Over the years, various dental diseases like dental caries, gingivitis, periodontal disease, pulp therapy, minor surgical procedures like operculectomy, biopsy, surgical exposure of teeth for orthodontic treatment, frenectomy and so on have been managed using conventional methods. All these procedures require use of local anaesthesia which induces lot of fear and anxiety, and also use of rotary instruments which produces sounds (noise) and vibration. However, the contemporary dental practice has seen a veritable explosion of research into the clinical applications of lasers in dental practice. Once regarded as having limited uses in clinical dentistry, there is growing awareness of the usefulness of lasers in the modern dental practice, where they can be used as an adjunct to traditional approaches. In addition to being an adjunct to conventional surgical methods, lasers are now the treatment of choice or the sole treatment modality for a variety of cosmetic and pathologic entities. The purpose of this paper is to review the historic perspective, general principles of lasers, tissue interaction, clinical applications, hazards and laser safety. With the potential availability of many new laser wavelengths and modes, much interest is developing in this promising field.