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Gazette photos
by Mike Gay
Dr. Mark Turner demonstrates the new
Waterlase drilling tool.
| TAUNTON -- When Austin Webster learned at the age of
8 he needed to have his first cavity filled, he was not unlike
most boys his age.
"He
was scared," his mother Tammy Webster said. "He was begging me
not to make him have the cavity filled. He kept telling me his
tooth was fine."
Now, a week later, Austin is begging
Mom to take him back to the dentist to have his remaining two
cavities filled.
"He thinks its cool and awesome,"
said Webster, of Taunton. "He’s been going around to all his
friends to show his tooth off. He loves it."
Austin had
his cavity drilled and filled using a new Waterlase procedure,
which for Austin was pain free. The new procedure is said to
allow dentists the ability to fill cavities faster, safer and
according to most kids, without the pain associated with
anesthesia needles and metal drills.
The procedure,
only available in a handful of Massachusetts dentist offices,
is available at the office of Dr. Mark Turner of Taunton.
Turner began using the new laser program a few months ago and
vows never to go back to the ancient drilling
routine.
According to Turner, the service uses a
high-powered stream of water to drill teeth and gums. The
water spray, which looks like a bright laser beam, is pain
free, as the spray serves as a natural anesthetic, Turner
said.
The procedure replaces the drill, as the laser is
able to cut through teeth the same way a metal drill would.
The laser can also be used on root canal and gum treatment
procedures.
"The first time we used it we were a little
skeptical," Turner said. "We were amazed, as all of our
patients said they didn’t feel a thing."
Turner said in
addition to the procedure being pain free, it is also an
improvement over the mechanical drills, as the water offers a
"jagged-like" cut, allowing fillings to settle into the tooth
easier. Additionally, Turner said fillings are less likely to
fall out of a tooth with the Waterlase’s jagged
cut.
Turner said the procedure can also perform oral
biopsies.
The procedure is not without some hindrances.
The procedure does not work with metal. As a result, adults
who in the past had their cavities filled with a metal filling
cannot benefit from the Waterlase procedure unless the old
fillings are replaced.
Turner has begun removing the
old fillings and replacing them with a cleaner, metal-free
filling.
The Waterlase laser treatment machine also
requires a significant investment for dentists. Turner said
the machine cost more than $50,000.
Most insurance
companies cover all cavity fillings where the Waterlase
procedure is used.
For Austin, the procedure was
everything he hoped for. Turner never used anesthesia and
Austin was able to play in his baseball game only minutes
after his cavity was filled. |
