Laser Cavity Treatment Requires No Drill, No Shots

[Marilyn. 340]

A new way to remove cavities requires no drill, no pain, no numbing shots.

Dr. Bruce Hensel reported that the new method involves a laser that works without damaging surrounding tissues.

Janine Daniels said she hated going to the dentist, and that was all she could think of when her dentist discovered another cavity.

Dr. Payam Ataii said the decay was visible, showing up as a little black spot.

The doctor would usually use a drill to remove it; that would be a burr, the high-pitched sounds that you hear, along with the vibration, Hensel said.

But Ataii had a better idea -- removing the cavity with a laser.

"Laser is truly light, light amplification. Being able to control that light and make it intensify heat, we are able to burn the decay only. No longer do we have to worry about damaging tooth structure," Ataii said.

Hensel said one of the advantages of the laser may be obvious; you can't hear the drill. But there are other benefits as well.

"We don't have to give injections at all," Ataii said. "You don't need anesthesia. There's no bleeding, no post-op pain, and you get up and go as you were before.

"I predict in the future most offices will have to use this as if they had the drill. This will be the trend," Ataii said.

And that's good news for patients like Daniels, who is now cavity- and pain-free, Hensel said.

"People who are afraid of the dentist won't have to be afraid of the dentist anymore," she said.

This new high-tech laser can be used for everything from polishing teeth to cavities, gum disease, and root canals.

For more information:

# Dental.PreferredConsumer.com

# WebMD.com

# LaserDentalCenter.info

http://www.nbc4.com/dentalhealth/13571385/detail.html

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

In the X-Files - aliens used laser to drill holes in people's teeth so they could insert tracking implants.

[Aubrey 10]

It's also reeeeeeeally expensive. Most dental insurances don't even cover the cost of a resin filling (and I have yet to find a dentist in the last 5 years that still does amalgam - what the insurance will pay for).

I really hate our health insurance system in this country...

[Marilyn. 340]

we are still paying off dental work that my hubby had done back in Jan/07....