Achieving Aesthetic Results by Using Laser in Minimally Invasive Dentistry Approach

The preservation of healthy human body and function for every patient should be the goal of all health practitioners. Dentistry is not an exception to this philosophy. In past few decades, the improvements of scientific method and technology has led to a better understanding of oral microflora and dental materials resulted in the shifting of caries management method from G. V. Black’s “extension for prevention” to the modern “minimally invasive” approach in dentistry. The minimally invasive approach to dental caries establishes a proper doctor-patient relationship, thus empowering and educating the patient to take responsibility for their own dental health. The proper sequence of caries management should be the introduction of preventive strategies such as oral hygiene instructions, reminialization regiments, and risk assessments followed by minimal surgical interventions. Using the laser technology in the aspect of surgical intervention has many clinical advantages. Some of the clinical benefits include its selectivity for carious tissue, reduction of needs for local anesthesia, decontamination effect of preparation surfaces, minimal thermal stimulus to pulp chamber, increase in surface adhesion for composite materials, and other soft tissue applications. The combination of caries prevention program, disease control, risk assessment, and laser technology application on the surgical intervention significantly reduces the long-term restorative needs and thus preserves more healthy natural tooth structures, which complement the concept of minimally invasive dentistry. In cosmetic surgery, the same rules apply. The same laser types are used as well.