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Laser

Would you be interested in laser dentistry if it was an option given to you by your dentist?

  • Yes

    Votes: 45 84.9%
  • No

    Votes: 2 3.8%
  • Don't Know/Maybe

    Votes: 6 11.3%

  • Total voters
    53
DrMike

DrMike

Well-known member
Verified dentist
Joined
Nov 6, 2005
Messages
537
Location
Glasgow
Hi
I have a question!
We are considering buying a Biolase laser for the practice.

The main benefits I imagine for my patients are
a) the potential to have teeth restored with no need for injections
b) no need for the old style drill (although it would still be needed to remove old amalgams and crowns etc). I think that this would make the actual experience easier to tolerate.
c) it does have many other applications eg desensitising sensitive teeth, soft tissue work with no need for traditional surgery techniques etc etc.

So my question for you guys is-

'Would you be interested in laser dentistry if it was an option given to you by your dentist?'.

I'd also be interested to hear any comments from any of you who have had experience having work done with a laser- or from any dentists who use them.

Thanks!!

Dr Mike
 
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Yes but primarily for gum type things. I have slight apprehension about this no local required....if it's going to be uncomfortable, I'd rather just head it off with local in the first place (delivered with good technique of course lol).
 
As someone who's had painful run-ins with drills in the past (and who doesn't like the sound of them as a result), I'd say the following:

1) One of the most obvious uses for the laser with regards to hard tissue would be for "drill" (ahem, handpiece) phobia. However, people often develop a phobia of drills because of not having been adequately numbed in the past. In which case elimination of the dental injection isn't going to do much for them (and would unsettle them further). Obviously, I know that you'd assess each person individually and wouldn't do that, but if I read that "the laser eliminates the need for injections" on a dental website, I certainly wouldn't go there!
I'd go for an electric handpiece to cut down on the noise level.
As far as I know, the laser still makes an unpleasant noise (albeit different from the handpiece).
2) In many if not most cases, the laser still requires local anaesthesia to guarantee comfortable treatment, unless the person is far more scared of injections than pain (in which case they might think that skipping the numbing bit is a good idea). But that's not much use if they then develop a fear of injection-unrelated pain instead.
3) From what I've read, lasers would appear to be very useful and less invasive than more traditional methods for certain gum procedures, and like Brit, I'd certainly advocate their use there.

So the answer is, it depends - for soft tissue procedures, yup, do check out lasers; for hard tissue procedures, I'd invest in the Wand and an electric handpiece instead. Not that I'm a dentist :rolleyes:. That's just my impression based on perusing dental forums.
 
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thanks for the feedback so far guys!
Brit & Lets- you have hit the nail on the head regarding my thoughts on 'no injections'. To be honest- I am happy with my technique, have the wand as well, and feel that if it possible to get the area comfortably numb, then that is always the best option. we certainly wouldn't be promising 'no more injections'.
although the companies try use the no need for injections angle when selling to dentists, the dentists who i've spoken to who use lasers have mainly said that they still use traditional techniques for giving local anaesthetics.
i watched the demo yesterday and yes there is still an odd clicking noise that it makes which as a patient you would have to acclimatise to, but at least there would be no physical vibration etc on the tooth, and imho the clicking sounded better than the whine! Annie778- yes you could still wear headphones/earphones etc to help drown out any noise.

Thanks everyone- keep the comments coming- and please do cast your vote!

Dr Mike
 
I actually like 'feeling numb' because it means I can relax and not worry about pain striking. TheWand would attract me to a practice far more than a laser/air abrasion.
I am up for Healozone though especially for baby teeth. Not fussed for myself so long as LA delivered comfortably.
 
I think I would prefer staying with the drill because if you are numbed it does not hurt, and I already know what to expect.
 
I THINK i'd prefer the clicking niose and feeling of the laser rather than the hand piece . I dont even like the sensation of using the oral B Toothbrush, :(
 
I would be interested to try it. The drill is what I hate most so anything that can alleviate the noise/vibration is very welcome in my case.

My dentist actually has a laser thing. She used it to ''burn'' some gum grown throught a broken tooth of mine (didnt feel anything!!!! and no pain after either) and I think she also used it to calm down the nerve before a deep filling (does it make sense? I was sooo stressed out im not exactly sure what she said.)
 
I played with the American Dental Laser when it first came out Mike, I wasn't very impressed with it. Very slow, terrible smell of burning and it left the tooth badly charred which was difficult to mask out on anteriors. The Biolase looks better but I'm still a bit sceptical of the no local claims.

I know of a chap in San Diego who uses one extensively for treatment along with hypnosis and swears by it. Ashley Goodman is his name if you google for him. I can't find his e-mail address at the moment.

I think you should get one so I can get you to do 2 lectures to my DF2's :)
 
Yes I would be interested in laser dentistry if it meant an alternative to the drill.
 
No injections? No drill noise? No nails-on-the-chalkboard chills as whatever icky polishing thing is working on my teeth? Gads, sign me up. I'd drive across the state for pleasant dentistry.
 
I would definetly prefer it. I think many of us are so conditioned to the sound of the drill equated to pain that it may just break that cycle of fear. But don't spare the LA. I'm praying my doc has it for my upcoming gingivectomy/plasty but haven't had the courage to ask (I'm already a huge pest with a zillion questions.)

RP
 
I'd totally prefer it over local

But with a laser I don't think it would be painful at all. I hope that the laser dentistry field can build on this for deeper cavities and no need for local.

I think if kidney stones and such can be zapped away by lasers, maybe someday the same can be said for even more advanced cavities in the future.
 
As a person who fears the drill, I would certainly be willing to give it a try. However, I am with Brit and Lets in the sense that having no local would only make me even more apprehensive. I am also fearful of pain associated with the drill due to past experiences when I was not properly numb. Injections really don't bother me so long as a competent dentist is delivering them. I have rarely experienced discomfort with injections and the discomfort is far less than the level of discomfort produced by a drill IMO. I guess I just don't really see how anything that is to some degree invasive (i.e. removal of tissue) can be painless regardless of the tool being used. But having a conditioned fear response to anything resembling a drill, I definitely see potential for it's use in breaking that automatic fear response...with it being a new tool that has no previous bad memories attached to it, it may not stir up the same feelings of panic that are associated with the drill. Local is always a must for me though. I would get local for cleanings too if I could, just to be on the safe side, even though those are usually pretty comfortable. Just the extra reassurance that I won't feel anything helps me relax. With fillings, I cannot relax until I'm positive that I am sufficiently numb, so the procedure always starts with me semi-panicked and then my mental condition improves over time.
 
This response is coming in late, but my answer is yes absolutely.

That being said, the ideal for me would be that I had a dentist that was well trained in the use of the latest technology and was also sensitive to patient needs and fears. I understand that technology is expensive but I would pay for it because in the long run I think the investment could be worth it as a patient. I am not wealthy but the best of care to me has top priority.

I am in the US and dentistry is expensive anyway, but if I had less invasive work with a waterlase (which seems to be what is the latest to my knowledge), and also have an injection with the wand which seems to be less likely to cause parasthesia, then it's worth it. I may still take a Xanax to calm down but the need of IV sedation or general anesthesia (which is also expensive), would be eliminated.

The sound and vibration of a drill paired with the big needle injections is what keep patients like me staying home and dealing with the pain.

There are dentists that are featured on television programs in the US like the show called "The Doctors" where an entire molar root canal was performed in less than an hour with a Waterlase. Yet it is hard to find these dentists.

When I find a gentle caring dentist that invests in the latest technology and is well trained in using the technology, and uses the safest drugs and safest and most comfortable methods of injection like the wand; then I will take a Xanax and not need heavy doses of oral sedation or IV sedation or general anesthesia, then that is where I will go. It's my mouth and my health and my money, and honestly if I find such a dentist, it will be worth traveling even out of state or out of the country.

Alice
 
I'd only be ok with it if there was a guarantee of no pain. Personally I hate needles, but I'm extremely hard to numb.
 
If this option was avilable at the dentist pratice I go to I would have it if it was less painful as the needle, I hate my teeth like it is. Can treat my teeth nicely.
 
Laser would be a dream come true for me. I've had all my extractions,on Monday I'm having a filling on a front tooth and removal of a large molar filling and preparing it for a crown, so drill time for me and I've got sweaty palms already.
 
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