Tooth decay is a common yet serious illness that impacts more than three million people in the U.S. each year. When left untreated, tooth decay only worsens, leading to infections, tooth loss, and more serious diseases.
Modern dental innovations, however, allow our dentists to treat tooth decay through minimally invasive laser dentistry rather than dental drills and other harsh techniques, improving your comfort during and after treatment.
Are you interested in learning about laser dentistry for tooth decay? Schedule a consultation with Dr. George Cerniglia, General, Cosmetic & Laser Dentistry to learn if you are a good candidate for this treatment in Metairie, LA.
Laser Dental Solutions for Tooth Decay in Metairie, LA
Your mouth needs a certain amount of healthy bacteria to help break down the foods you eat and freshen your breath. But your mouth can also harbor unhealthy bacteria that you need to eliminate with regular brushing and good oral hygiene habits.
When left unattended, these harmful bacteria can begin to eat away at your enamel, causing tooth decay and cavities. But treating tooth decay in Metairie, LA, doesn’t need to be stressful or overly painful. Laser dentistry innovations allow our dental team to detect tooth decay and remove decayed material in less time and with minimal discomfort.
How We Use Lasers To Treat Tooth Decay
The traditional treatment for tooth decay involves numbing the area with a local anesthetic, using a dental drill to shave off the decayed area of the tooth, and then replacing the decayed section with a filling or a crown. The process often takes several hours and can require loud, cumbersome drilling.
However, dental laser therapy for decay improves many elements of this process. Our dentists use precise lasers to kill the harmful bacteria that has eaten away at your enamel. We then use the same lasers to remove the decayed portion of the tooth, creating a hole that we can fill with a crown or filling. This process is similar whether you have a cavity or other forms of tooth decay.
Advantages of Precision Laser Treatment for Dental Decay
Laser cavity removal and tooth decay treatment is a more precise, less painful, and faster way to treat this common dental disease. It’s an innovation that has solved many of the disadvantages of tooth decay treatment, improving the overall comfort of the procedure and making it less intimidating for those with dental anxiety.
Tooth decay treatment with lasers poses specific benefits like:
- Faster recovery times
- No harsh drilling and scraping noises that provoke anxiety in patients
- Less discomfort and swelling
- Better sterilization to reduce the risk of infection
- Less risk of tissue regeneration
- Shorter appointment times
What To Expect With Laser Dental Care for Tooth Decay
We will begin your laser dentistry consultation in Metairie, LA, by evaluating whether you are a candidate for laser treatments. We typically don’t recommend laser treatment for:
- Teeth with existing fillings
- Cavities and decay located between the teeth
- Teeth that need dental bridges
We will also discuss the cost of laser dentistry vs. traditional dental treatments.
If you decide to proceed with laser tooth decay treatment, we will apply a local anesthetic to the area, then use a small laser device to remove the decayed portion of the tooth. We use hard wavelength lasers to cut through teeth and for cavity detection.
The entire treatment should take no more than a few hours, and most patients report feeling very little pain. After the procedure, you may experience mild soreness for a few days.
Explore Laser Dentistry Solutions in Metairie Today
Are you a candidate for minimally invasive laser dentistry for tooth decay? Call Dr. George Cerniglia, General, Cosmetic & Laser Dentistry at 504-454-5880 to discuss laser dentistry for tooth decay in Metairie, LA.