Wilmington Oral Surgery utilizes cutting-edge technology. The ‘Waterlase-MD’ laser combines laser technology and water, resulting in a “cold laser.” This provides benefits over traditional lasers and has numerous applications.
It can be used on both soft tissue (gums) as well as hard tissue (bone and tooth). Uses of the ‘Waterlase-MD’ laser in our practice include:
- Frenectomy – labial and lingual. A child’s tongue-tie and/or a lip-tie can generally be corrected by a simple Waterlase procedure. There is very little discomfort and almost no bleeding. The risk of infection is low and healing is quick.
- Removal of soft tissue lesions (biopsy). The Waterlase allows for extremely precise biopsies. Small lesions can often be removed with a topical anesthetic only. Sutures are rarely required.
- Crown lengthening – both hard and soft tissue. During this procedure, we reshape gum and bone to expose more natural tooth and improve your smile.
- Gingival recontouring. We often use Waterlase to take away excess gum tissue that detracts from a natural smile.
- When the tip of a tooth root must be removed and sealed, such as when a root canal is not advised, laser surgery is an excellent solution.
- Treatment of minor vascular lesions. With lasers, we successfully treat lesions that previously required disfiguring surgeries and produced poor results.
- Exposure of impacted teeth. If it is close to the surface, an impacted tooth can be exposed quickly by Waterlase. The light removes a small area of gum over the impacted tooth. There is no bleeding; the tissue is cauterized as it is removed.
- Treatment of chronic oral irritation / inflammation. Waterlase can remove debris and bacteria between your teeth and gums that can cause bleeding, gum recession and tooth loss.
Patient-Experience Benefits
- Waterlase uses light energy and a gentle spray of water. You experience none of the noise, heat, vibration and pressure of the drill.
- With many laser procedures, we can use less anesthetic than we normally would, or none at all.
- The laser vaporizes and coagulates tissue gently, allowing gum procedures with little or no bleeding, and less swelling.
- The laser sterilizes areas it touches, so there is less risk of infection.
- You are less likely to need an injection, so your chair time is shorter. Plus, we can perform procedures in one trip that previously required several visits to Wilmington Oral Surgery.