Minimally Invasive Dentistry Approach Benefits of Using Laser

Abstract

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. The loss of human tooth structure should be regarded as a serious injury and never to be considered lightly, therefore it is imperative to provide the most comprehensive and conservative care to all teeth. In past few decades, the improvements of scientific method and technology has led to a better understanding of oral micro flora 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 encompasses the science of detection, diagnosis and treatment on the microscopic level. The approach also establishes a proper doctor-patient relationship thus empowering and educating the patient to take responsibility for their own dental health. It has been widely accepted that the restorative materials and preparation designs are not the cure for caries. The dentist must recognize that the caries is a bacterial disease and the elimination of disease should be the priority before initiating any restorations. The proper sequence of caries management should be the introduction of preventive strategies such as oral hygiene instructions, remineralisation 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 anaesthesia, decontamination effect of preparation surfaces, minimal thermal stimulus to pulp chamber, increase surface adhesion for composite materials, and other soft tissue applications. A critical evaluation of disadvantages on laser should also be considered when implementing its use in the clinical practice. The combination of caries prevention program, disease control, risk assessment and laser technology application on the surgical intervention significantly reduce the long term restorative needs thus preserve more healthy natural tooth structures, which complimenting the concept of minimally invasive dentistry. This presentation summarized various articles within the past 15 years regarding to topics of minimal invasive dentistry and laser technology usage in dentistry.