Most people would advise against sticking sharp metal things in your mouth, but then dentists come at you with a noisy metal drill and that’s supposed to be normal? No wonder people are afraid of going to the dentist when many dental procedures require anesthesia injections, stitches, and lots of recovery time. Fortunately, there is a new game in town that is helping highly skilled dentists in St. Louis take the “Ouch!” out of dental visits. Laser dentistry is a fast and effective method that uses heat and light to perform a wide variety of dental procedures. Most importantly, laser dentistry is virtually pain-free!

Continue reading “Is Laser Dentistry Really Pain Free?”

Can you imagine going to the dentist and receiving painless treatment for tooth decay without anesthesia? With the Solea Laser, that dream has become a reality. Approved by the FDA in 1990, the Solea Laser allows your St. Louis dentist to perform procedures with greater precision and virtually no discomfort for the patient. The laser, which is less than one-eighth the diameter of a human hair, effectively replaces the dental drill. It does not vibrate or make any noise, and it results in no bleeding during soft tissue procedures. It’s the perfect solution for any patient who has ever dreaded a visit to the dentist, making even oral surgery a sensationless experience.

At West County Dental, we are proud to utilize state-of-the-art dental technology, including the Solea Laser , to ensure the best possible care for our patients. Visit our website to learn more about our services, or call us today at (314) 821-2712 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Spalitto.

Laser dentistry is an increasingly popular way for Dr. Spalitto, a dentist near St. Louis, to treat gum disease. Gum disease can pose serious risks to your oral and overall health. When plaque accumulates between the teeth and along the gumline, it can solidify into tartar. Plaque causes both cavities and gum disease. If untreated by a dentist, gum disease leads to tender, red, and bleeding gums. It can also cause tooth loss. Fortunately, gum disease can be treated with laser dentistry. Read on to learn more how laser dentistry treats gum disease.

Targeted Method
Laser dentistry is preferred by many dentists who treat gum disease because it targets only the affected tissue. With traditional techniques, a dentist uses tools to treat problem areas. Unfortunately, these tools can cause damage to nearby tissues and lead to longer recovery times. With laser dentistry, a dentist is able to reshape the soft gum tissue. The entire procedure is almost completely pain free and requires substantially less recovery time.

General Steps
When it comes to treating gum disease or periodontal disease, laser dentistry is a four-step process. First, your dentist will pre-test bacteria to determine how far the disease has progressed. Next, he or she will use a laser to de-contaminate deep gum pockets. Finally, the laser dentistry treatment is executed with a microscope. At the end, your dentist will test your gums to make sure the gum disease has been resolved.

Additional Benefits
In addition to sparing nearby healthy gum tissue, laser dentistry offers various benefits for gum disease treatment. By using a laser, your dentist can eliminate gum bleeding immediately. Your dentist can also reduce or completely fix loose teeth. Laser dentistry ensures that healthy bone and ligament tissue regenerate. Finally, when compared with gum surgery, laser dentistry minimizes swelling.

Find out more about laser dentistry by speaking with a dentist today. Call Dr. Spalitto at West County Dental at (314) 821-2712.

Has your dentist in St. Louis started using laser dentistry ? Laser dentistry is an innovative new technique in family dental care that allows dentists to perform both routine and complex procedures without a dental drill. With laser dentistry, patients feel virtually no pain, vibration, or noise. Additionally, dentists are able to complete multiple procedures in a single appointment. Continue reading for some answers to frequently asked questions about laser dentistry.

What Is Laser Dentistry?
Laser dentistry works when a dentist relies on a laser instead of a scalpel to perform dental procedures. With laser dentistry, dentists can do everything from filling cavities to performing root canals. Dental lasers can even be used to reduce the discomfort of cold sores or canker sores. With surgery, dental lasers act as a cutting mechanism. But dental lasers can also be used to “cure,” or set dental fillings and other bonds. Laser dentistry is a general term, so you should ask your dentist which kind of laser he or she uses.

Why Laser Dentistry?
Lasers have been used in dentistry for over two decades, and dentists regularly praise their reliability. However, the best part about laser dentistry is that it cuts down on a patient’s pain—and time spent in a dentist’s chair. With laser dentistry, dentists perform hard and soft tissue procedures with no anesthesia and virtually no bleeding. Because lasers are so much faster invasive than scalpels, dentists can execute formerly complex, multi-appointment procedures in just one appointment.

How Is Aftercare Different with Laser Dentistry?
Because laser dentistry is so much less invasive than traditional dental surgery, patients do not experience the same kind of painful healing process. Patients who no longer have to go under general anesthesia are able to go about with their days instead of going home to rest for at least 24 hours. Because lasers are more precise, dentists no longer have to damage healthy tissues as a side effect of removing cavities, which translates into shorter healing time for patients.

To find out more about laser dentistry with Dr. Spalitto, call (314) 821-2712 today.

Have you been to the dentist in St. Louis and noticed that your dental professional is using a laser? Most people have, but laser dentistry still remains a mystery to most.

Dr. Spalitto’s team at West County Dental wants to help you understand the process of laser dentistry by answering some of the common questions about the procedure.

What is Laser Dentistry?
Laser dentistry is exactly what it sounds like. It uses lasers during dental work procedures. Lasers have been used in dentistry since the 1990s. Using lasers allows your dentist to produce a beam of light energy that causes your tissue to react. It allows your dentist to shape or remove tissue safely and accurately in your mouth.

What Are Lasers Used For?
If you have tooth decay, lasers can be used to prepare your tooth for a filling. Lasers are also useful to harden a filling once it is placed. If you have some stage of gum disease, Dr. Spalitto can use a laser to shape your gums and remove any bacteria. Another common use for lasers is during a root canal. They are able to remove bacteria during the procedure. Lastly, a dental professional uses a laser to whiten your teeth. The lasers speed up the whitening process.

How Does Laser Dentistry Work?
Laser dentistry is used in so many dental procedures that it would be difficult to explain each one. However, here are a few explanations. During an in-office tooth whitening, for example, a laser is a heat source that reacts with the topical whitening agents to make them activate quicker. And in the case of surgery, a laser is used as a cutting instrument.

What are the Benefits of Laser Dentistry?
Laser dentistry is wonderful because in many cases it can decrease the pain of a procedure and reduce the need for a patient to receive anesthesia. Less blood during soft tissue procedures is also a benefit of laser dentistry. The main benefit of laser dentistry is that is can act as a replacement for a dental drill, meaning less noise and anxiety.

The Solea laser is a dental tool that is used in more advanced dental offices in St. Louis in place of a drill. The Solea laser can be used in the majority of dental procedures, including filling cavities. The carbon dioxide laser provides many unique benefits to both dentists and patients. Read on to learn more about the Solea laser, and then visit Dr. Spalitto and his team at West County Dental to see the laser in action.

Virtually Eliminates the Need for Anesthetics
The Solea laser has a numbing effect that eliminates the need for dental anesthetics or sedation dentistry. The majority of patients who have been treated with the Solea laser have not undergone anesthesia, and have reported no pain resulting from their dental procedures. A dental laser that reduces the need for anesthetics can help more people experience less numbness and feeling like they have a fat lip.

Procedures are Less Invasive and More Precise
The Solea laser seals your blood vessels and nerve endings as it works, meaning that the recovery process is basically instantaneous, causing no bleeding and requiring no stitches. This means that your healing time is significantly reduced, and you are less susceptible to infection. Additionally, the fact that the laser is silent and vibration-free can help patients feel calmer and more at ease at the dentist. The laser also cuts tissue more precisely and cleanly than any other dental laser in use.

You Spend Less Time at the Dentist Office
With the Solea laser, Dr. Spalitto is able to complete procedures in much less time than using traditional dentistry methods. The laser is so precise and easy to operate that he may be able to do multiple procedures in one visit! This will save you the time and stress of having to make multiple visits to the dentist office.

Dr. Spalitto uses the newest technology to offer all of his patients the best care. Laser dentistry helps this St. Louis dentist to make dental visits more effective and more comfortable and more effective than ever before. Keep reading to learn more about laser dentistry and how it can benefit you:

It Does Not Require Anesthesia

When Dr. Spalitto uses laser dentistry, he does not need to use anesthesia to prepare the patient for the procedure. Without the need for anesthesia, patients can drive themselves to and from their visits. They also do not have to take any extra time off of work to get the treatment that they need.

It Causes Very Little Bleeding

A lot of people feel apprehensive about getting dental treatments because they do not like the sight or the smell of blood. By using laser dentistry, Dr. Spalitto can significantly minimize the amount of blood that dental procedures cause. In fact, the Solea laser causes almost no bleeding.

It Has Faster Recovery Time

Since laser dentistry does not make a large incision, patients heal much faster than they did with traditional dental procedures. The procedures take much less time to perform and you can get back to feeling like yourself very shortly after the treatment is complete. If you need dental work but you do not want to wait through lengthy procedures or healing times, you should talk to Dr. Spalitto about laser dentistry and how it can help you.

It Provides Greater Precision

When using laser dentistry, Dr. Spalitto can have even more precision during treatments than ever before. This means that patients can enjoy better results that get them much closer to enjoying optimal oral health. Dr. Spalitto can use laser dentistry to reshape soft tissue, remove tumors, and do biopsies on tissues. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Spalitto to learn more about laser dentistry and how it can help you improve the look and feel of your smile.

Dr. Spalitto only uses the best dental resources to offer you the most comprehensive care for your oral health needs. The Solea dental laser is a high-tech dental tool that provides a pain-free way to get the oral care you need. This laser and one of the top dentists in St. Louis can completely change the way you care for your teeth and gums. The Laser allows for patients to have no numbing in 95% procedures that it can used on. This is only the second Laser of its kind in St. Louis. This Laser is Revolutionary for Dentistry and will change the way people feel about Dentistry as a whole. No pain, no anesthesia, no drill and less time in the chair. Keep reading to find out how:

The First of Its Kind

Solea is the first CO2 laser system that has earned FDA approval for both hard and soft tissue ablation. Using this impressive technology, Dr. Spalitto can now offer more precise treatment than ever before. The Solea dental laser is quick and quiet, which helps you get the care you need without dental anxiety affecting the way you feel during your visit. Patients who have had Solea treatments love the way the laser offers quick and efficient treatments.

No Anesthesia and No Blood

The Solea dental laser is so revolutionary because it allows dentists like Dr. Spalitto to perform important procedures without the need for anesthesia. Since the laser does all the cutting, patients do not bleed while they get their laser treatment. This saves you and Dr. Spalitto a lot of time. The laser allows the dentist to be as efficient as possible so you can get the treatment you need and get back to your busy day.

Complete Control

The Solea dental laser allows Dr. Spalitto to perfect his already impressive skills by giving him complete control as he performs various dental procedures. The laser comes with a Computer Aided Preparation (CAP) system that includes a hand piece, a foot pedal, and a touch screen to give Dr. Spalitto complete control over the procedure from start to finish. If you are in need of dental treatment, schedule a visit with Dr. Spalitto to find out how the Solea dental laser can work for you.

This Laser offers patients an entire new experience at the Dentist. Dr. Spalitto knows it is important to have the most cutting edge technology to offer his patients and with the Solea Laser he does it again.

Your St. Louis dentist can help you get the dental care you need without traditional surgery thanks to laser dentistry! This technique utilizes the innovative power of lasers to provide patients with treatments that improve dental health, appearance, and much more. Discover the basics of laser dentistry with this guide:

How Did it Start?

Laser dentistry is becoming more common in dental clinics across the country. This technique first gained momentum in the United States in the early 1990s, when it was approved for use by the country’s Food and Drug Administration. In 1996, the FDA approved laser use on the teeth, jawbone, and other hard tissue areas in and around the mouth. Since then, dentists have used lasers to provide a variety of treatments and services to patients.

What Procedures are Available?

You might be able to choose laser dentistry for your next dental procedure, depending on the nature of the issue as well as the severity. Laser dentistry is commonly used for procedures such as tissue biopsy, tumor removal, and soft tissue reshaping. Many dentists can also use lasers to detect cavities, prepare fillings, lengthen crowns, and even whiten teeth.

What are the Benefits?

Laser techniques have provided many benefits to many medical fields and their patients. Laser dentistry is no exception! This technique can reduce or eliminate the need for anesthesia and stitches. It can also minimize bleeding, bacterial infections, and damage to the surrounding tissue and often results in faster healing time.

Are You a Good Candidate?

Many patients can benefit from laser dentistry as it works for many different types of dental procedures. This option can be highly beneficial for patients with dental anxiety who fear undergoing traditional dental surgery and treatments. If you think you can benefit from laser dentistry, talk to your dentist about your options. Your dentist can answer any questions you have and help you have the best experience possible!

If you’re like many people, going to a dentist serving St. Louis for a filling or periodontal disease treatment may not be high on your list of favorite things. However, thanks to laser dentistry, your next dental visit could be much less painful and more efficient than ever before. Lasers were approved for dental use in 1990 and can be used to treat tooth decay, control gum disease, contour the gums, and remove tissue for biopsies. Because lasers are more precise than dental drills and scalpels, more healthy tissue and tooth structure is left intact during treatments. Check out this infographic from West County Dental, a St. Louis periodontist’s office, to learn more about laser dentistry, what it’s used for, and its benefits. Please share it with your friends and family!