For those looking for more modern and natural treatments in their oral health, dental light therapy is an increasingly popular treatment method in dental practices that can treat chronic pain and heal wounds faster.
We’re happy to offer light therapy treatment for each of our patients who need it at The Canyon Lake Center for Family & Cosmetic Dentistry!
What Is Dental Light Therapy?
You may be familiar with the concept of dental lasers used in certain treatments, such as in gum recontouring or periodontal therapy; light therapy is a specific kind of laser treatment called photobiomodulation. This method was developed in the mid 1960s, but its application in dental practices is becoming increasingly more widespread today.
Photobiomodulation (PBM therapy) might be better known under the name “low-level laser therapy.” This specific method uses red and near infra-red light on soft tissues to speed healing and alleviate pain.
How Does Light Therapy Work?
Light therapy is the application of concentrated lasers to improve soft tissue healing, reduce inflammation, and provide relief for chronic pain.
To keep it simple, photobiomodulation uses light energy to trigger cellular and biological responses in the body. Essentially, PBM therapy encourages the body’s natural healing process to work faster and more efficiently for the given treatment.
What Can Light Therapy Help With?
Light therapy has been proven to help with many different conditions. PBM can be used for:
- Treating dry socket.
- Nerve regeneration .
- Treating facial pain.
- Treating TMD pain.
- Pain control, especially after surgery.
- Improved healing of implants.
- Improved healing of bone and tissue grafts.
- Treating soft tissue lesions.
- Preventing and treating mucositis—an inflamed mouth.
Light therapy is a great treatment option for ongoing diseases or for preventing issues from occurring, as well as reducing inflammation and encouraging healing. Ask your dentist if PBM can be used as part of your treatment plan.
Benefits of Light Therapy
So many issues can be helped or resolved entirely by using light therapy, which makes most patients a good candidate for PBM therapy. Light therapy is a valuable tool in Dr. Schaack’s arsenal, and it can be a great addition to your healing process.
Light therapy brings many benefits to the table when it comes to dental procedures. Beyond being able to treat a long list of problems, light therapy can also benefit your treatment in the following ways:
- Gives you a faster healing time.
- Causes extremely little to no pain in procedures.
- Eliminates the need for sharp metal tools.
- Boosts your body’s own natural healing and regenerative processes.
Patients receiving light therapy often report that the positive effects of the therapy start immediately.
Is Light Therapy Safe?
This may be the first you are hearing of light therapy, so some concern is understandable. Throughout the years of light therapy being used in treatment, no negative side effects have been recorded.
To answer the question simply, yes—light therapy is completely safe. You can feel confident adding photobiomodulation to your oral healthcare plan. It may make a major positive impact on your oral health and speed along your healing process.
Does Light Therapy Hurt?
Dental patients are often concerned with the level of pain they will experience for different dental procedures. Rest assured, light therapy will not add any additional pain to your procedure, and in fact is frequently used to alleviate pain.
When you discuss adding light therapy to your oral treatment plan, or using light therapy to treat an issue you are experiencing, you should not worry about the potential of pain.
Get Light Therapy Treatment at The Canyon Lake Center for Family & Cosmetic Dentistry
Our dental practice is committed to giving you the best care available, targeted to meet your personal needs. The staff at The Canyon Lake Center for Family & Cosmetic Dentistry is compassionate, highly trained, and happy to answer any questions you might have.
Contact us today with any additional questions you may have about light therapy or any other dental treatment or procedure. You can schedule an appointment or just talk with a staff member and hear more about treatment options. We look forward to hearing from you and we are excited to help you!
