During the current pandemic, health-conscious consumers are asking a lot of questions about what businesses are doing to fight the spread of COVID-19. In particular, they may wonder “Is the dentist safe?” If you have been asking that question, you can rest assured that the answer is yes! Dentists are careful to take all the necessary precautions to protect the health of their patients. Some of them even use laser dentistry, which can greatly reduce the spread of viruses and bacteria in the dental office. In this blog post, you’ll discover how that is possible.
Bioaerosols — Danger in the Air
One of the primary dangers in a dental office are bioaerosols, tiny droplets that get released into the air during dental procedures. They include things like bits of blood, saliva, and other biological matter. Without anything to stop them, bioaerosols can easily travel several feet from their source. People may breathe them in, or they might settle onto surfaces throughout the dental office.
While that might sound a little scary, there’s no real need to worry. Masks, frequent cleaning of the office, and suction devices can all keep the risk that bioaerosols present to a minimum. However, the Solea Laser has proven to be an additional, unexpected tool in the fight against dangerous airborne droplets.
The Solea Laser Reduces Splatter and Kills Viruses
The Solea Laser is a dental device that can, in most cases, serve all the same purposes as a dental drill. A dental drill produces quite a bit of splatter, but with the laser, the amount of splatter is reduced by about 90%. This is thanks to the fact that the drill uses significantly less water (about 67 – 83% less) and less air pressure than a drill. A reduction in splatter and water usage can significantly lower the volume of bioaerosols that are produced during a procedure and therefore protect everyone in the dental office from airborne pathogens.
Another significant advantage of the Solea Laser during this time of COVID-19 is that it produces a significant amount of heat. In fact, it gets hot enough to kill any viruses or harmful bacteria that might come into contact with it.
Additional Benefits of the Solea Laser
The Solea Laser’s ability to create a safer dental office is only one aspect of why it is such a valuable tool. Some of its additional benefits include:
- It is FDA-approved
- It is quiet (no nerve-wracking drill sounds)
- In many cases, it eliminates the need for anesthesia
- It is very precise
- The average recovery time with laser dentistry is much quicker than with traditional treatment methods
Laser dentistry is just one way in which many dentists are helping to keep their patients safe throughout the current pandemic. To learn more about the specific measures your dentist is taking to prevent the spread of COVID-19, get in touch with them. They will be happy to answer your questions.
Meet Our Practice
Drs. Minh-Phuong Bui and Le Nguyen are the leaders of our team at Southeastern Dental Care. Both are graduates of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. State-of-the-art technology, including the Solea Laser, is a small part of how they continue to safely serve patients during the time of COVID-19. To learn more about them, our practice, or our safety protocols, contact us at 508-947-5717.