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Dr. Alessandro Onesti took part in the review of the FDI Dental Ethics Manual:
http://www.fdiworldental.org/resources/4_6ethics-manual.html
http://www.fdiworldental.org/resources/assets/ethics/2008_03_DPRE03_trendsETHICS.pdf
Source
Lietuvos Rytas / 19 October 2004, no 243, SVEIKATOS GIDAS [Health Guide]
Visiting a Dentist - Without Fear
'When I was a pupil sitting in a dentist's chair, I used to pinch my leg so hard out of fear that marks used to be visible at the spot for a long time afterwards. But now I boldly sit in a dentist's chair since I no longer feel any stress or pain or hear any irritating sounds', rejoiced Public Health Specialist Liudvika Lovkyte at Kaunas University of Medicine.
Such words are hard to believe. Visiting a dentist is usually associated with only negative emotions: anxiety, fear, and pain. Even dentists themselves are frequently unable to feel safe and calm when visiting another dentist.
L. Lovkyte's view changed radically after she tried the new dental laser treatment. Having once been afraid of dentists, she was sure that treatment with this device would cause no unpleasant feelings. Then she even decided to correct the cosmetic defects of her teeth and gums.
Nowadays more people want to have not only healthy teeth but also beautiful smile. Hygiene alone is not always enough. With a dental laser, everyone, not just movie stars, can have a perfect smile without pain,'said Dentist Lina Tvarijonaviciene of the Pilene Cosmetic Laser Dentistry Clinic founder in Vilnius.
I had a conversation with her about painless dental laser treatment.
The Standarts for a Beautiful Smile
- 'Does the ideal smile exist?' I asked the dentist.
- The ancient Greeks noticed that so-called golden proportions existed between various parts of the body and established aesthetic standards for the human body. The golden proportion rules also apply to teeth.
According to the standards for an ideal smile, the front teeth, i.e. the central incisors, must be about 10 millimetres tall. In addition, looking from the front, each subsequent tooth must have 60% of the area of the previous tooth.
There are also rules for the gum line. Both upper and lower secondary incisors must be 1 millimetre lower than the primary incisors and cuspids. Smiling ideally exposes no more than 2 millimetres of gum.
It is usually difficult for a non-specialist to notice small deviations. Likewise, a crooked tooth is not a problem for one person while each deviation from the standard is important for another.
A beautiful smile is not necessarily one which completely conforms to the rules. There is no ideal smile that suits everyone but there is a smile, which ideally suits each of us. Each person can create his or her own ideal smile. The height, area, colour, form, and position of the teeth, the symmetry of the teeth and gums, and the height of the gums can be corrected by using the latest technologies and materials.
Unpleasant feelings are avoidable
- Most people get chills down their spines just from the thought of having to visit a dentist. We are determined to sit in a dentist's chair only when forced to by the pain.
- Surveys show that people fear drills, the unpleasant sound of drilling, and injections the most. People usually fear dentists right from childhood because of precisely these unpleasant feelings. Some patients are afraid of needles. They only agree to sit in a specialist's chair if no anaesthetic will be used. But now it is possible to avoid these feelings.
A special hard and soft tissue laser created six years ago not only makes ordinary dental treatment more comfortable but also allows smile improvement procedures to be performed without pain, which had been impossible up until then.
There are so far only two such lasers in Lithuania, one in Vilnius and one in Kaunas.
The Treatment is also suitable for children
- How does this latest dental laser operate?
- The laser activates drops of water, which gently and accurately remove decayed dentine tissues. An ordinary drill heats the tooth and causes vibration. Pain is felt and micro-fractures frequently appear in the teeth during procedures due to precisely this.
If teeth are treated with a laser, the temperature of the tooth does not change and there is no vibration. Due to this no anaesthetic is usually necessary. Unlike with a drill, a laser also causes no irritating sound. Only crackling is heard. A laser cut is especially accurate. Therefore it is possible to preserve more healthy dental tissue. Also, after the device sterilises the teeth, fillings adhere better to the dental tissue and decay is prevented from starting again.
By performing laser surgical operations to treat soft tissues and gums, the treatment is not only painless and sterile but also causes little bleeding. Such wounds heal faster and leave no scar.
-Is this new device suitable for treating children's teeth?
- A laser can be effectively used in many procedures in treating both children and adults. It is especially suitable for treating children because small children are especially afraid of needles and drills. In addition, it is difficult for them to sit still in one place.
Also, a laser does not touch the teeth or gums when it is operating. Therefore no adjacent tissue is damaged.
We still cannot manage without a drill
- Will the laser completely replace the dental instruments that have existed up until now?
- It is possible to use one almost everywhere as one of the principal instruments in both general and cosmetic dentistry. But it will not replace conventional instruments. A laser cannot be used to remove metal fillings (amalgams) or polish teeth. You also need something else to work and polish fillings. So it is still not possible to do without a drill.
Up until now it has been very tricky for dentists to properly take care of root canals. There are a lot of new opportunities in endodontics with the laser.
Gum defects are also correctable
- What previously impossible procedures are now possible to perform using this device? Are they expensive?
- A laser is especially useful in correcting cosmetic gum defects. Up until now it was sometimes impossible to correct gums that were broadly exposed when a person smiled. Performing this procedure with a scalpel is tricky and the gums grow back after a while.
With a laser, this procedure is simple; you just need to raise the gum line. It is possible to change such a smile without any pain in under one hour.
Many people's teeth are sensitive to cold or when being brushed. Up until now dentists have tried to desensitise teeth using a special paste or coating. But these measures are short-term. Sensitive teeth treated with a laser may cause patients no problems for even a couple of years.
This device is also used for removing of benign oral tumours, treating herpetic lesions and sores of the lips and mouth , frenectomies. By using a laser to perform these procedures, it is unnecessary to suture the wound, which does not swell up or hurt.
It is also irreplaceble in oral and perio surgery.
White teeth in an hour
- Is it true that one can now enjoy a dazzling smile after under an hour in a dentist's chair?
- Yes. A special teeth whitening laser that has been created can very effectively, quickly, and safely whiten teeth in 40 minutes. Both the usual methods and the laser use similar material to whiten teeth. In whitening teeth with a laser, the teeth are immediately whitened several shades since the laser strengthens the effect of the whitening material while not affecting the underlying layer of the tooth. Due to this such whitening does not harm the teeth.
Using this method it is even possible to whiten teeth that are stained beyond the capacity of ordinary whitening methods.
Both whitened and unwhitened teeth are affected by such products as coffee, tea, smoking, and red wine.
-Can everyone have their teeth whitened with a laser?
- No whitening of any kind is recommended for people under the age of 18 since their teeth are still being formed. It is also not recommended that pregnant and nursing mothers whiten their teeth. Teeth darkened with the color of yellow, brown, or orange respond better to whitening. Other types of gray stains caused by fluorosis, tetracycline are lightened, but results are not as dramatic. If there are sensitive teeth, periodontal disease, or teeth with worn enamel, we may discourage whitening.
Falling asleep during procedures
- What other new things are allowing patients to feel better in dentist's offices?
-For a long time now patients have been able to use special video glasses to watch movies and shows during procedures. These distract a person's mind, allowing him or her to relax and no longer feel such colossal stress.
Frequently patients who are afraid of dentists relax so much that they fall asleep while their teeth are being fixed.
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