Are Lasers Painful
Most of the anxiety about going to the dentist and undergoing a dental procedure revolves around the question if the treatment is painful. With the introduction of the use of lasers in dental medicine, the same question is being asked: Are lasers painful?
One of the benefits of the use of laser in dentistry is that it could reduce the use of anesthesia. But that doesn't mean that anesthesia will no longer be required in all procedures involving lasers.
What does this imply? This means that the use of laser in dentistry does not eliminate the pain but it can reduce the intensity of the pain and the length of time in doing the procedure. Take for example the use of lasers in removing tooth decay. Because the procedure can be done fast, there is usually no longer a need to give the patient a local anesthesia for the pain.
However, in some soft tissue (gum-related) issues, the use of anesthesia is still required when using lasers. This is because the gums are sensitive structures and you still feel the pain during lengthy procedures. On the other hand, although the patients will still feel pain if anesthesia is not used during these procedures, the bleeding and the swelling of the operation site is reduced. This is due to the precise mechanisms in the laser dental equipment. This will lead to faster healing of the operation site. Studies related to the use of laser in dentistry also say there are few reports of pain after the procedure.
