Laser Fillings

Lasers can make dental treatments more efficient, cost effective, and comfortable. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved laser dentistry as a treatment option for several dental conditions. Additionally, dental insurance usually determines reimbursement costs based on the treatment itself and not on what method is used. Therefore, your compensation is likely to be the same as it would with drilling and other procedures.

The two main types of procedures used for laser dentistry are hard tissue and soft tissue procedures. Hard tissue refers to the teeth, and soft tissue refers to the gums.

Common hard tissue procedures include:

• Tooth preparations and dental fillings: Local anesthesia and traditional drills are often not needed with laser treatments. Lasers can kill bacteria in a cavity, which can aid in the long-term health of a tooth.

Common soft tissue procedures include:

• Treating tongue frenulum attachment: Those with a thick or tight frenulum (the fold of skin under the front part of tongue that anchors to the mouth floor) may benefit from a laser frenectomy. This treatment helps children whose restricted frenulum causes them to be tongue-tied, have difficulty breastfeeding, or have a speech impediment.
• Treating cold sores: Lasers can minimize healing time and reduce pain from cold sores or cancer sores.
• Treating obstructive sleep apnea: Lasers can reshape the throat and relieve associated breathing problems when sleep apnea is caused by tissue overgrowth in the throat. We invite you to learn more by (insert link to the service laser snore treatment) clicking here.
• Gingivectomy or Treating a “gummy smile.”: Lasers are used to reshape gum tissue associated with “gummy smile,” in which the gums’ length covers much of the tooth.