pros compared to the traditional dental drill lasers: may cause less pain in some instances therefore reducing the need for anesthesia may reduce anxiety in patients uncomfortable with the use of the dental drill minimize bleeding and swelling during soft tissue treatments may preserve more healthy tooth during cavity removal cons the disadvantages of lasers are that: lasers can't be used on teeth with fillings already in place. lasers can't be used in many commonly performed dental procedures. for example lasers can't be used to fill cavities located between teeth around old fillings and large cavities that need to be prepared for a crown. in addition lasers cannot be used to remove defective crowns or silver fillings or prepare teeth for bridges. traditional drills may still be needed to shape the filling adjust the bite and polish the filling even when a laser is used. lasers do not eliminate the need for anesthesia. laser treatment tends to be more expensive since the cost of the laser is much higher than a dental drill. lasers can cost between $39 000 and $45 000 compared to about $600 for a standard drill.
what are the pros and cons of using a laser in dentistry?