One aspect of seeking dental care many patients experience is anxiety. Dental anxiety can keep many patients in the area of Costa Mesa, CA from receiving the care and attention they need to maintain a healthy smile. However, one way the team at Smiles4OC reduces these anxieties is providing pain-free treatment with laser options. The gums and teeth can be treated with laser light to avoid discomfort while also providing precision results.

What is laser dentistry?

Laser dentistry is the use of laser light to ensure precision cutting while also keeping patients comfortable throughout their procedure. Lasers have been used in the medical field for many years and continue to be integrated into today’s treatments for many conditions. Laser dentistry requires the dentist to invest back into the practice to obtain these expensive devices, while also ensuring the team has the training and experience to provide successful services. At Smiles4OC, we use laser dentistry to ensure patients have a positive experience at the dental office, instead of a negative one.

What laser procedures are available at Smiles4OC?

Patients in the Costa Mesa, CA area can enjoy laser procedures with our team here at Smiles4OC. Below is a small sample of the laser treatments we provide in our state-of-the-art practice for patients:

• Assist with dental hygiene visits (professional teeth cleaning)
• Dental fillings
• Periodontal debridement, a gentle alternative to traditional scaling and root planing, as part of a comprehensive strategy for gum disease treatment and management
• Gum recontouring

Dental fillings

When areas of decay develop within the tooth’s structure, it can cause devastation in the smile. Without appropriate diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible, cavities can become deep and may enter the inner canals of the tooth. This is where the dental pulp resides, a mass of tissues that holds the nerves and blood supply of the tooth. Patients who have cavities that reach the dental pulp will often experience an infection that may require root canal therapy or even extraction. Patients who visit their dentist regularly for routine examinations can often catch signs of dental decay early enough to receive fillings that will maintain the tooth’s integrity. Fillings are completed when the dentist prepares the tooth, eliminates the areas of decay, and fills the tooth with a material such as composite resin. This is a clay-like material that is often used for treating many areas of the smile because it is tooth-colored and can be easily hardened and polished to look like natural tooth enamel. The dentists at Smiles4OC need to prepare a tooth before a filling, which in the past, has always required a drill. These are noisy and can cause many patients anxiety. Instead, our team utilizes Waterlase, which is a special laser device that integrates water and is used for the preparation of teeth requiring fillings. When using the Waterlase device, patients will be able to enjoy several benefits. The treatment leads to faster healing time, less trauma to the teeth and gums, and requires less anesthetics than other procedures. Additionally, Waterlase allows precision and comfort, which is important for our patients. The ability to use the device to prepare teeth for fillings without the need for anesthetics is a primary advantage to using lasers over traditional drills.

Gum disease treatments

Gum disease, or periodontal disease, is a major concern for patients. This condition is an infection that starts in the gum tissues but can continue to wreak havoc on the entire smile. It can cause the loss of bone, gums, and natural teeth. Because this condition can be so devastating, it is important that patients avoid the development altogether. Gum disease is preventable when patients take good care of their oral health and maintain routine visits with their dental team. When the condition develops, the earlier stage is known as gingivitis. This can be reversed with a thorough cleaning and treatment of any bacteria that may be present. However, it can be more difficult to treat the later stage, known as periodontitis, and the condition cannot be cured, only maintained. The team at Smiles4OC typically provides cleanings or scaling and root planing to treat the later stages of periodontal disease, in addition to using oral or topical antibiotics. However, with the use of laser devices, our team can treat this infection in a less invasive manner with increased accuracy. The laser device can target bacteria that can develop in the pockets between the gums and the teeth, ensuring the infection is appropriately controlled to keep it from spreading. The laser can also treat the gums that are affected by offering gum recontouring later to treat the recession of the tissues. Treatment of gum disease should be done as soon as possible to avoid the spreading of the infection, which is known to impact the rest of the body through the oral systemic connection. The oral systemic connection links oral health to the health of the organs, as bacteria present in the smile can be passed through the bloodstream and increase a patient’s risk for heart disease, strokes, and other conditions that can impact their physical health. With prevention and immediate treatment, patients can enjoy a healthier smile and body!

Gum recontouring

There are many reasons why a patient may consider gum recontouring. Perhaps they experienced periodontal disease that caused their gum tissues to recede, resulting in the appearance of longer teeth and root exposure. Maybe patients were born with a “gummy smile,” in which excess gum tissue covers the teeth and makes them look shorter. Whatever the reason, the team at Smiles4OC in Costa Mesa, CA can help. Our dentists can evaluate the smile and determine if patients can benefit from treatment solutions such as gum contouring. This procedure is done for cosmetic purposes and is performed with the use of a laser device. Laser technology allows the dentist to cut the gum tissue with precision and revise the gum line into a more attractive appearance. When performed with a laser, patients experience less bleeding and faster recovery.

Who is a candidate for laser dentistry?

The dentists of Smiles4OC are pleased to provide all patients with treatment using laser dentistry. Lasers allow our patients to enjoy precision services and reduce their anxiety when they visit our practice. Children and adults can benefit from laser therapies and often request them when it comes to choosing a treatment.

Are laser dentistry procedures safe?

All laser devices, including the Waterlase, that are used at Smiles4OC are approved by the FDA and have been deemed safe for dental use. In addition, our dental team is highly trained and has hours of experience in utilizing these devices to achieve amazing, healthy, and beautiful smiles. We would never use a device on our patients that is not safe or effective, and we continually invest into our practice to ensure we have the best possible therapies available for patients to choose from. We find that many traditional methods of dentistry are being replaced with laser therapies, and we want to continue to move forward into the future by providing these state-of-the-art solutions for our patients. Our patients are the reason for our practice, and we want to offer only the best services around!

When can a patient obtain laser dentistry treatments?

When patients visit our team at Smiles4OC, we make recommendations for treatments based on the patients’ specific and unique needs. In many situations, we may comment on the use of laser devices to achieve results. We walk our patients through the process of obtaining treatment with laser devices used in our office, and we take the time to answer any questions patients may have. We know that the idea of using a laser in the mouth can be a little scary, but we assure our patients that their experience will be positive and their results amazing! With our training and expertise, we can ensure that the results achieved using laser therapies are comparable if not better to traditional methods. Patients can book a consultation appointment with our team to educate themselves further on this and other solutions for the smile.

Learn more today!

The team at Smiles4OC is pleased to provide patients with a wide selection of services to choose from, including general, cosmetic, and restorative dental care. With the use of laser technology, patients can now enjoy more pain-free treatments in the dental chair and achieve the smile they’ve always wanted without worry. Dental anxiety can be a thing of the past with comfortable and precise laser therapies. Contact our team of professionals today to book your consultation appointment and find out if laser treatment is right for you. Our practice is located at 1530 Baker Street, Suite J in Costa Mesa, CA and can be reached by calling (714) 557-0700. We welcome patients to connect with us and find solutions to their smiles that can be improved with laser modalities.

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