5 Ways Laser Dentistry Is an Awesome Invention for Children

Laser dentistry for kids in Salem OR

Laser dentistry is an excellent option for treating kids.

As parents, we know how important it is for our kids to receive the best medical and dental care. But let’s face it, taking young kids to the dentist isn’t always easy, especially when you should bring them in every six months. Even when bringing your child to the best kids’ dentist in Salem, OR, kids bring their wiggles, their silly personalities, and even their dental anxiety. For this reason, you want to find a dentist with what it takes to work with kids. And laser dentistry for kids in Salem, OR, is often the answer.

What is laser dentistry?

Parents often ask us, what is laser dentistry for kids? Well, laser dentistry helps remove the dental drill from the equation. The sound of the drill often makes many kids nervous, afraid, and downright adamant they will not receive a dental treatment that day. While it doesn’t replace the need for all forms of traditional dentistry (yes, mom and dad, you need to ensure your kids keep brushing and flossing at home), laser dentistry for kids is an ideal solution for many common dental procedures.

Lasers are highly effective for hard tissue treatments, such as scraping plaque and tartar from the teeth, and detecting cavities. Lasers can be used to spot areas of tooth decay, which means in some cases, they detect cavities in the early stages, thus eliminating the need for more invasive treatments later. On top of detection, lasers can prepare teeth for fillings or other decay-related treatments.

To sum it up, lasers are highly effective for the following hard tissue treatments:

  • Detecting and removing cavities
  • Tooth preparation for fillings and crowns
  • Treating tooth sensitivity (sealing the roots of the tooth)
  • Teeth whitening

Lasers can also help with the following soft tissue treatments:

  • Reshaping gummy smiles
  • Crown lengthening
  • Repairing soft tissue defects and congenital abnormalities
  • Treating cold sores
  • Removing benign tumors
  • Removing tissue to treat sleep apnea

But when it comes to kids, there are so many other benefits to laser dentistry that parents should be aware of.

Laser dentistry for kids in Salem, OR

Children’s experiences at the dentist’s office must be comfortable and minimally invasive. When dentists take a softer approach, it helps build positive dental experiences and reduces kids’ anxiety about visiting the dentist. If your dentist has been talking to you about laser dentistry, you should be prepared to experience the following benefits:

1. Lasers are less invasive

With lasers, we only remove the infected or damaged tissue, sparing healthy tissues. The Waterlase/EPIC laser is quiet and cooled with water and doesn’t come with the nerve-wracking noise and vibration that happens with dental drills.

  • Lasers are quiet, which creates a more calming, less frightening, experience for children
  • Lasers are cooled with water, so your child will not experience the uncomfortable heat that they might feel from a drill
  • No vibration—helps put your child at ease

2. Better precision

Dental lasers for kids offer fantastic accuracy and precision. The beam only comes in contact with the area requiring treatment, leaving healthy tissues intact. The laser is easier to control, minimizing the depth and cut, making lasers highly effective in many procedures, including lip and tongue tie revisions.

3. Shortened healing time

With laser dentistry, especially with the Waterlase/ EPIC laser used at Spinnaker Pediatric Dentistry, tissues can regenerate faster than with drill dentistry thanks to the laser’s cauterizing and sterilizing effect on tissue.. The fact is, minor wounds inevitably heal more quickly than more significant wounds.

4. Improved healing

We can’t reiterate this enough. Dental lasers produce less inflammation in the tissue compared to more traditional approaches. Thus, the affected area can heal faster, with minimal scarring.

5. Less risk of future cavities

When your best kids’ dentist in Salem shines that high-energy laser light on a tooth, little microscopic holes in the tooth’s dentin close up. (Fun fact: the technical term for what happens here is “dentinal tubule occlusion.”) Two things happen as those little channels in the tooth close. The soft inner part of the tooth is now protected from acids that might otherwise weasel their way in. At the same time, outside signals can’t reach the tooth’s nerves and create false pain or “sensitive teeth” anymore. The gist is that lasers help reduce the risk of future cavities when partnered with good oral hygiene and visits to the dentist every six months.

Spinnaker Pediatric Dentistry offers laser dentistry for kids in Salem, OR.

At Spinnaker Pediatric Dentistry in Salem, OR, we specialize in caring for your child’s smile. One of the best ways we can do this is through laser dentistry for kids. If your child is new to the dentist, or shows signs of dental anxiety, we can help. Request an appointment today and see how we go above and beyond when providing your child’s dental care. We look forward to seeing you.