Dental cavities are becoming inevitable and dental restorative procedures are become more advanced day by day. Laser filling is one of such advancement.The most commonly used lasers in dentistry are ND- Yag laser, Helium Neon laser, Ruby Laser.
LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
In simple language a laser filling is a restorative procedure in which the decayed portion of the tooth is removed with the help of specially designed dental laser and then it is restored with the help of tooth colored cosmetic filling.
Details:
The objective of any kind of dental filling is same:- Remove the decay and restore the tooth in biocompatible
and functional manner. Laser filling also follow these basic steps.
Step one: Take an X ray of tooth and see that cavity should be small and it should not be close to the pulp (nerve) of the tooth.
Step two: Remove the carious lesion using dental laser. A water jet is continuously flowing while the laser is removing the decayed tooth material from the cavity. This kind of removal does not produce vibration or heat while removing the cavity hence patient comfort is good and easily achieved.
Step Three: After removing the decayed portion of the tooth the cavity is disinfected by using chlorhexidine gluconate solution. Cavity is irrigated and dried for the filling.
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Step Four: A biologically compatible restorative material like light cured GIC or Composite resin is used for filling and binding the prepared cavity. After placing and curing the restorative material normal anatomy and function of the tooth is restored.
Step Five: Occlusion is checked with the help of occlusal bite registration paper and high points are removed.
What are advantages of laser filling
No vibration because no use of drill or burs this makes it more comfortable and easy for patient.
No Shot of anasthesia is required: Actually it depends upon the pain tolerance of the patients but in most cases no shot is required.
Fast: It really takes few minutes to complete the removal of caries and do the filling.
What are the drawbacks of laser filling
Can't be used in large cavities
Expensive
Can be performed by very few trained dentists ( Lack of availability)