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Lasers for Pain-free Dentistry
Chris writes "Australian researchers say that frequency-doubling a femtosecond laser is the way to pain-free dentistry. Using two different Ti:sapphire sources it was found that the 400 nm second harmonic gave the best results. Lasers have long been touted as pain-free replacements for the dreaded dentist's drill. However, the hardness of dental tissue has demanded high-energy pulses for drilling. Previous attempts have resulted in unacceptably slow removal of tooth enamel, and have also damaged teeth. These previous efforts caused shock waves, vibrations and also heated up the tooth's softer tissue, causing significant pain to the patient. Because femtosecond pulses are so short, heat conduction effects are virtually eliminated."
So this is how Aussies do dentistry. While it's swell and all to be able to painlessly zap a hole in my tooth, it doesn't eliminate the fact that you'd be zapping a hole in my tooth.
The Brits, on the other hand, have gone for a no-hole approach. They're using a new treatment called Healozone, which involves fitting a rubber cap over the tooth and then smothering it with ozone, which eliminates all the bacteria in a matter of seconds. Painless, and much more cool.
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The angel in the oatmeal.
The idea of lasers in dentistry is old news, but "Discover" won't have had the details of this latest improvement (which is published in the 15th August 2002 edition of the Journal of Applied Physics (subscription required to read articles), so it is brand new news. Admittedly it isn't a huge advance, as subpicosecond lasers have been used before, but what they have done is work out exactly which wavelength, pulse duration and intensity is required to obtain fast ablation with no thermal collateral damage.
Just how long ago was this? If recently, I suggest you change dentists.
They have a topical anesthetic now that it swabbed on to your gums prior to the novacaine shot. Takes a minute or two and then they can administer the shot to an area that's already numbed. Very nice. If your dentist isn't doing this yet, either tell them to or change dentists.
Dunno... I'd have to ask my friends and coworkers who have had dental work recently to find out. My insurance is through a dental HMO though, so it must be cheap... otherwise it wouldn't be covered (I'm often thankful that novacaine is covered...)
The stuff my dentist uses is yellow-orange, rather thick, and put on a large cotton swab and put in your mouth. They go away for about 3 minutes, come back, and give a pain free injection.