Heat and vibration are what make dental drills hurt. Fortunately, we have a new technology that can replace the drill for many dental procedures. The Waterlase® laser does a lot of work we used to do with a drill - without the heat, vibration and noise. The Waterlase® laser uses a gentle combination of laser energy and water that works without ever touching your teeth. That means we can use fewer shots and less anesthetic in many cases. The laser works on teeth and gums. It can even be used for oral surgery on the bone around teeth. 

No one likes to leave the dentist’s office with a numb lip. If your laser procedure can be done without anesthetic, you’ll be able to avoid this uncomfortable side effect. 

The Waterlase® laser lets us work on your teeth and gums with unprecedented accuracy. Without the heat and vibration of a drill, the laser can precisely remove decay without affecting surrounding healthy tissue. Drills can cause tiny microfractures that can weaken a tooth, and sometimes nick a tooth next to where decay is being removed. Not the laser. Because it works so precisely, the dentist may use magnifying glasses or even a microscope while working. 

Since many procedures can be done without anesthetic, we can eliminate the time it takes to give shots and wait for numbing to occur. So you can get in and out of the dentist’s chair faster. Giving fewer shots and less local anesthetic also allows the dentist to work on more cavities at once, since dentists usually avoid numbing more than one area of the mouth at one time. 

The dentist may use the Waterlase laser to prepare your gums around a tooth that requires a crown, or to fix a cavity or tooth fracture below the gumline, or to reshape your gums to improve the appearance of your smile. The laser energy of the Waterlase® laser cuts gums precisely, because it only affects tissue on gums. Waterlase laser energy is attracted to water, so it “seals” blood vessels, reducing or completely eliminating bleeding during these procedures. 

The Waterlase® is extremely versatile. It can be used for a wide range of tooth and “soft” tissue procedures. Besides decay removal and cavity preparation, the Waterlase® is great for root canals, smile design, gum and bone surgical procedures and many others. A Waterlase Dentist™ cares so much about your comfort that they have invested in the ultimate in dental lasers, the Waterlase™ from BIOLASE Technology – absolutely number one in dental lasers. They also receive special training in laser dentistry through the World Clinical Laser Institute, the world’s largest laser education organization.