Frequently asked questions

Yes, anyone can receive laser therapy. It is also suitable for patients who are advised not to undergo anaesthesia due to previous illnesses. Oral surgery using a laser usually involves considerably less bleeding, so it is suitable for patients who take blood-thinning drugs.

No, laser surgery involves very few risks. Because the laser can treat the affected area with a high degree of accuracy, there is minimal damage to the surrounding healthy tissue. Most of the laser beam’s energy is concentrated on the area requiring treatment. With laser therapy there are usually no long-term effects, as can sometimes happen with X-ray examinations, for example. This has been established over almost 30 years of clinical experience. During laser treatment, the patient and dentist both wear special glasses to protect the eyes.

Everyone’s pain threshold is slightly different. During treatment for caries, most patients feel a throb from the laser but this certainly wouldn’t be described as painful. This pain-free or virtually pain-free experience means that many patients decide not to have anaesthesia during subsequent sessions. Small surgical interventions often involve little or no pain; with larger incisions, a simple local anaesthetic is often enough.

Laser therapy offers many advantages in surgery, periodontics, root therapy and pain therapy. In surgery, a laser beam is used instead of a scalpel to make an incision in the gum. This procedure usually causes no bleeding and is much less painful, or even completely pain-free. So you may not require anaesthetic at all and you are only left with a micro-scar that is not at all unsightly. Clinical studies have shown that when a laser is used in root therapy, the teeth remain firmly anchored for longer. Soft lasers can be used to treat aphthae, herpes labialis and even problems with the temporomandibular joint.

No. If a dentist needs to remove old amalgam fillings, for instance, they will normally need to use a drill. The same applies to dental preparations for fitting a crown. But there are many applications where it makes a lot of sense to use a laser, for example making an incision in the gum, because it makes the treatment much more pleasant and pain-free and causes less bleeding.

Mandatory insurance companies will not cover the costs of laser therapy, or will only cover it in part. Private insurance companies will usually cover the costs. Please check with your dentist before committing yourself to a course of treatment.

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