SEMICONDUCTOR LASER TECHNOLOGY IN PERIODONTICS

About 50 years ago, lasers started to be used in periodontal treatment following evidence that wounds produced in animals healed more quickly after being irradiated with low¿intensity lasers. Increased production of growth factors, stimulated mainly by red and infrared lasers, may participate in this process by influencing the behavior of various types of cells. High¿intensity lasers have been used as an alternative to nonsurgical periodontal therapy in root biomodification and to reduce dentin hypersensitivity; low¿intensity lasers are frequently employed to improve tissue repair in regenerative procedures and in antimicrobial photodynamic therapy. Laser technology has made rapid progress over few past decades, and lasers have found a niche in many surgical specialties. Because of their many advantages, lasers have become indispensable in OMF surgery as an additional modality for soft tissue surgery. There are many uses for lasers in Periodontics, and the advent of new wavelengths will undoubtedly lead to new procedures that can be performed with laser technology.