Custom laser lenses may take the pain out of a visit to the dentist. With the advent of laser and LED-based tools there is hope that a dental visit could be faster, simpler and less painful for the patient.
Dentists currently use laser light to “set” fillings in cavities. Dentists can also perform both hard and soft tissue procedures with the device. A main benefit of the laser technology is that the dentist can perform most procedures more quickly and in some cases, without anesthesia. The laser light will also cut the soft tissue of a patient’s gum with very little bleeding and it will self-cauterize as the tool is used.
While this may help the dentists perform their work more quickly and easily, it is also a benefit for the patient who will not have to endure the sound and feeling of a drill in their mouths and they may be able to forgo the use of anesthetic and avoid the needles that come with that procedure.
The way it works is that the dentist will choose the laser beam pattern for the procedure – this mimics the technology that would formerly be performed by the drill. He will focus the beam on a specific point and perform the procedure in a non-invasive way.
One of the stumbling blocks was getting the dentists accustomed to using the technology as they were familiar with the “old” techniques and as with any new technology there is a learning curve. The devices are made to feel like a drill which means the dentist is using something he is familiar with as he learns the new laser technology.
Bacteria, which can number in the hundreds of species in a patients’ mouth can be killed simply through the laser light. Also, because the light cauterizes as it works, the patient doesn’t have a high a level of threat of an infection from an open wound from the dental procedure.
When you make your next dental appointment, ask your dentist if he is using laser technology and you just might have a more pain-free visit!
UKA Optics is a manufacturer of lenses for medical applications including custom laser lenses for dental procedures, diode laser collimators, CD and DVD players, laser pointers, laser levels, laser surface inspection systems and positioning and measuring equipment. Standard and custom laser lens assemblies are also available with over 1600 different lenses available in our New York office.