As technology advances in the dentistry field for improved oral and dental health services, one of the most common technologies being introduced in most dental clinics is cold laser therapy. Most people dread seeking dental and oral health services because they are frightened of the discomfort and pain of most dentistry procedures.
However, most dentists embrace cold laser therapy, also known as Low Light Level Laser Therapy (LLLT), to manage various patient's dental and oral health problems painlessly without discomfort. Encino Dentist is the place to go if you have a dental or oral health issue and are looking for a non-invasive and comfortable treatment plan that incorporates modern technology.
What is Cold Laser Therapy?
The use of cold lasers or low light level laser therapy is common among many health practitioners, especially dentists and oral surgeons. Cold laser therapy is a dental and oral treatment method that applies low-level lasers (light beams) to relieve pain in a sensitive area during treatment or enhance healing after treatment by stimulating cell functions.
Unlike high-power lasers that dentists and other health practitioners use to cut flesh or destroy tissues like tumors during treatment, cold laser therapy involves the use of low-level light beams, hence its name. The use of cold laser therapy is advantageous in almost every aspect of dental and oral health services, regardless of whether it's a dental specialist or a general dental practice.
Suppose a dentist recommends using cold laser therapy during the treatment of a dental or oral health illness. In that case, he/she might not use anesthesia or any sedation to reduce discomfort and pain during treatment because cold laser therapy serves the same function. The use of cold laser therapy in dentistry is quick and brings noticeable outstanding results compared to other traditional pain-relieving methods that involve drugs or injections.
Cold laser therapy is effective and constantly evolving, making it easy for a dentist to treat and diagnose various dental and oral health infections with less discomfort to a patient. When seeking dental and oral health services, you should ensure the dentist you decide to choose is knowledgeable and experienced in using this kind of technological advancement in dentistry for better services.
How Cold Laser Therapy Works
The mechanism of cold laser therapy is simple and very effective, but it requires a skilled professional for better results. During cold laser therapy, a dentist applies different low-level light wavelengths directly on an infected or targeted area. The body tissue then absorbs the low-level light to stimulate the natural body mechanism of reducing pain and healing through the regeneration of new healthy cells.
When treating superficial soft tissue in the mouth, the dentist uses low-level light beams ranging with a wavelength of between 600 and 700 nanometres (nm). If your dentist needs a deeper penetration of cold laser beams during the treatment, he/she will use wavelengths ranging between 780 and 950 nanometres (nm).
The use of this modern dentistry technology allows dentists at Encino Dentist to offer precise and outstanding dental and oral health services during treatment procedures like tooth extraction or dental implant.
Benefits of Using Cold Laser Therapy in Dentistry
As mentioned above, the use of cold laser therapy has a unique advantage over other methods because it aids the healing process after treatment and improves dental and oral health treatment techniques. However, there are more benefits of using this modern technology in dentistry, for example:
- It removes bacteria in tooth crevices and canal systems during treatment because these beams of light have a sterilizing effect.
- It minimizes tooth bleeding during treatment by aiding tissue coagulation and blood clotting.
- Each cold laser therapy procedure is quick, lasting less than ten minutes.
- It promotes the faster regeneration of oral tissues after treatment.
- Depending on the procedure the dentist is undertaking, there might be no need for anesthesia or sedation, which have side effects.
When a dentist recommends a cold laser therapy to treat or diagnose any dental/oral health problem you experience, you should know it's for your good because this procedure is comfortable and non-invasive to a patient.
Application of Cold Laser Therapy in Dentistry
A dentist can apply cold laser therapy for the treatment of various dental and oral health issues. No wonder most dental clinics nowadays are keen to watch out for any advancement of this technology. A dentist can use cold laser therapy in conjunction with other dental and oral health treatment procedures for the following reasons:
i. To Reduce Gagging and Nausea Sensation During Various Dental Treatment Stages
During a dental treatment procedure like a root canal, it is common for patients to feel nausea and gag sensations during the procedure's treatment stages. Instead of injecting thin needles on the hand wrist’s P6 acupuncture point to reduce nausea and gagging sensations during various dental treatment procedures, a dentist can apply cold laser beams nowadays.
The use of cold laser beams for this purpose is painless and comfortable compared to a thin needle. The hand wrist's P6 acupuncture point is one of the triad areas that can calm your parasympathetic nervous system during dental and oral health treatment to reduce nausea and gagging sensations.
ii. Reduction of Analgesia/Pain During Dental and Oral Health Treatment
One of the main things that make cold laser therapy preferable during most dental and oral health treatment procedures is its analgesic effect. The use of cold laser therapy in a targeted area during endodontic treatment procedures helps reduce pain and discomfort at every stage of the treatment. Cold laser therapy reduces chronic and acute pain through the following mechanisms:
- Increasing lymphatic drainage
- Increasing aerobic metabolism and ATP
- Decreasing secretion of acetylcholine, bradykinin, serotonin, and histamine
- Increasing enkephalins and beta adrenaline
iii Decreasing Dentin Hypersensitivity
Dentin, also known as dentine, is a hard and porous mineralized layer of tissues underneath a tooth enamel surface. Dentin becomes hypersensitive due to sharp pain caused by stimuli like hot or cold water, which last for a few minutes. Suppose you have a severe dental condition like pulpitis, which is a painful inflammation of a tooth's pulp due to bacterial infection. In that case, cold laser therapy can help reduce the hypersensitivity of the tooth.
iv. Helps in Repairing Damaged Nerves
In case of a traumatic accident leading to nerve injury on your mouth or a dentistry surgery leading to nerve injury, cold laser therapy can help regenerate nerves. Cold laser therapy helps regenerate damaged nerves by stimulating the nerve's growth of axon fibers.
v. Helps in Treatment of Soft Tissue Lesions and Wounds
Suppose you have a wound in your mouth. In that case, a dentist may use cold laser therapy to stimulate the spread of fibroblasts for higher tensile strength of the affected tissue and faster wound healing. Cold laser therapy enhances macrophages' phagocytic activity during the initial stages of wound repair for faster healing.
Also, if you have a soft tissue lesion in your mouth area due to herpes, dentures, or aphthous ulcers, cold laser therapy will be helpful because it brings the following effects:
- Decreased recurrence
- Reduction in pain
- Faster healing
- Prevents growth of lesions when a dentist detects them at early stages
Research shows that cold laser therapy helps prevent cold sores from erupting immediately when the tingling starts and speeds up healing if the sores have erupted by stimulating your body's natural healing mechanism.
vi. It Accelerates Anaesthesia Effect
When a patient experiences problems with anesthesia during dental health treatment or surgery, a dentist can use cold laser therapy to improve the affected area's blood circulation to accelerate anesthesia effects sooner. Injection of anesthesia in the periodontal ligament is usually painful, and the application of cold laser therapy can decrease this pain for faster absorption of the anesthesia for quick treatment.
vii. Helps in Dental Implant Placement
Dental implants are metallic frames or posts that a dentist surgically inserts on a patient's jawbone beneath the gum surface if there is no other option available to save the tooth because of severe damages on the tooth roots. Typically, dental implants serve as replacement tooth roots for a missing or damaged tooth before placing an artificial custom-made tooth or crown.
A dental implant is one of the most fearful dental health treatment procedures that most patients dislike because there is a perception that the procedure is painful. However, that is not the case nowadays because there is cold laser therapy technology, which plays a crucial role in decreasing inflammation and pain associated with this dental health treatment procedure.
The use of cold laser therapy during dental implant placement also helps the implant integrate with the jawbone sooner to place a crown/artificial tooth. Cold laser therapy is also useful during this surgical procedure because it helps reduce post-operative pain and inflammation on the surgical site.
viii. Helps in the Healing of a Tooth Extraction Site
One of the issues associated with tooth or teeth extractions is dry socket. Dry socket is a painful and sensitive dental condition that usually occurs after the extraction of an adult tooth when blood fails to clot or after a blood clot dislodges before healing of the extraction site.
After tooth extraction, cold laser therapy's primary goal is to speed-up fibroblasts to seal the extraction site to avoid dental conditions like dry socket. Still, suppose a dry socket occurs after tooth extraction. In that case, a dentist can use cold laser therapy in conjunction with other traditional treatment methods to reduce any discomfort you might experience at the extraction site.
How Safe is Cold Laser Therapy?
Apart from the usefulness and effectiveness of cold laser therapy, the other interesting thing about it is its safeness. A dentist can control the amount of energy to use on a specific part of the mouth, depending on the dental or oral health problem you are experiencing. Therefore, the procedure is safe if you are looking for a non-invasive and comfortable way of relieving pain and speeding up the healing process after dental treatment.
As long as you have a reliable dentist with significant experience in this field, this procedure should be smooth even if you will feel the tip of the equipment touching your gum or mouth. The only drawback that comes with cold laser therapy is time. While this procedure may take a few minutes when a dentist treats the affected area of your mouth or teeth, it may take as long as three weeks or a month before you see its full effectiveness.
Understanding Cold Laser Therapy
The nature of a dentist's services might cause pain and inflammation, sometimes especially when undertaking complex procedures like dental implant placement or tooth extraction. However, instead of using drugs and injections to reduce pain and inflammation, a dentist can now treat that pain immediately in the dental hub through cold laser therapy.
Research on the safety and effectiveness of cold laser therapy is ongoing. However, there aren't any side effects with this procedure so far on all patients who choose to use cold laser therapy to reduce pain and accelerate healing after dental and oral health treatment. However, if you are pregnant, you should let your dentist know for consideration of other alternatives for pain treatment and healing enhancement.
During cold laser therapy, your dentist will give you protective glasses to protect yourself from the laser beams. Make sure you find an experienced and knowledgeable dentist who understands the wavelength and power to use for different types of dental and oral health treatment needs.
Find a Cold Laser Therapy Dentist Near Me
Cold laser therapy is a non-invasive and comfortable dental and oral health treatment procedure and a suitable alternative to pharmaceuticals and injections. At Encino Dentist, we look for the latest technological advancement in the dentistry field to offer our clients the best services. Call us today at 818-650-0429 if you are in need of cold laser therapy to reduce pain after dental treatment and accelerate healing of the affected area.
