THERE鈥檚 hope for those who tremble when they hear the drone of a dentist鈥檚
drill. Pain-free lasers can not only replace the dreaded drill, they can also
save infected nerves.
When the living nerve inside a tooth becomes infected, the standard treatment
is to drill out the nerve and fill the interior of the tooth. In the US alone,
dentists perform 20 million root canal treatments every year. But the procedure
usually weakens the tooth and makes it discolour.
Now Richard Hansen of the Center for Advanced Dentistry in Fullerton,
California, has developed a laser treatment that destroys the diseased nerve
tissue without damaging the healthy nerve. Patients don鈥檛 even need a local
anaesthetic unless the tooth is already painful.
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The erbium laser that Hansen uses emits light with a wavelength of 2940
nanometres, which is primarily absorbed by water. 鈥淎nd decayed material has an
extremely high water content,鈥� he says. This means that most of the laser鈥檚
energy is absorbed by the infected tissue, which is vaporised. If necessary,
antibiotic paste can be inserted into the tooth through a hole made by a more
powerful laser, and the tooth sealed.
Hansen says studies have shown there is little or no damage to living nerve
tissue. So far, he has used the laser method to treat nearly 600 patients who
would otherwise have needed root canal work. Hansen claims there has been an
almost 100 per cent success rate. He plans to publish the results of his trials
later this year.
But Eddy Levin, a Harley Street dental surgeon, is not convinced. 鈥淚
personally would not use lasers,鈥� he says. 鈥淚n the first place, the equipment
required is incredibly costly, which would make it very expensive for the
patient. Also, I don鈥檛 think they have been tried and tested enough, and they
take too long.鈥�
It does take longer, Hansen agrees. 鈥淏ut I tell dentists that if they want to
do things quickly, they should use a hammer and chisel.鈥� He says the technique
is actually cheaper because it avoids the need for other work such as a crown or
root canal.
Hansen also claims the vibrations caused by drills in preparation for
ordinary fillings can damage the nerve and make procedures such as root canals
necessary later in life. In fact, he says, most work done on adults is only
necessary because of dental work done in childhood. 鈥淎dult dentistry wouldn鈥檛
exist if we routinely used lasers,鈥� he claims.
Since the FDA approved lasers for dental treatment in 1997, Hansen and a few
other dentists have routinely used them instead of the traditional drill. They
say lasers, unlike drills, are sterile and cause little or no bleeding or pain.