Cavity preparation
Traditional treatments
Treatment of cavities consists of two stages. The first is the removal of the decayed part of the tooth and the elimination of the bacteria. The second is the reconstruction of the tooth with a filling material. Traditionally this was silver amalgam but because of potential health risks composite fillings are now becoming more and more common. Conventional treatment of the decayed tooth uses the mechanical drill to cut away the decayed section and often necessitates the use of local anaesthestic. The process is often quite time consuming, while the sound of the drill often invokes anxiety and fear in many patients.
Laser treatment
With the erbium:YAG range of lasers conventional drilling has been transformed. The laser works by taking advantage of the high composition of water in the enamel and dentine to create micro-explosions that eject the decayed material. The procedure is painless and in most cases requires no anaesthetic. Moreover the laser drill does not even come into physical contact with the tooth itself.
The clinical advantages of lasers for cavity preparation are that they are capable of cutting more precisely, allowing more of the healthy tooth to remain. Usually the procedure is much quicker than conventional mechanical drilling. In addition the majority of the time there is no post-operative pain reported and the healing time is quicker than with conventional techniques.
With Nd:YAG laser being perfect for soft tissue procedures, Fotona's dental laser systems with combined erbium:YAG laser and Nd:YAG laser is the perfect choice for cavity preparation.