Laser Surgery

Lehigh Valley Smiles is a high-tech office with equipment for providing a large number of oral and maxillofacial surgeries. Among the most flexible tools in Dr. Alan Dilsaver’s possession is the Waterlase. This water guided laser eliminates many of the problems associated with older models of surgical lasers while maximizing the benefits.

The advantage lasers have over mechanical drills is that the lack of vibration and pressure results in less pain, and the lack of noise avoids the psychological stress many patients experience when undergoing drilling. However, lasers produced in the early 1990s still sometimes produced a large amount of heat, which was also a source of pain with mechanical drills. The Waterlase, introduced in 1998, produces far less heat. The gentle stream of water it bathes the surgical site in causes the water molecules in cells to vibrate, making them easier to cut through.

The Waterlase can be used for surgeries on both hard and soft tissues, making it as useful for blasting decay as it is for making surgical incisions. Its precision reduces the amount of collateral damage and bleeding compared with other tools, allowing patients to recover faster and with less pain.

Alan Dilsaver, DDS, FAGD, operates Lehigh Valley Smiles at 2601 Nazareth Road, Easton, Pennsylvania, 18045. To schedule an appointment, call 610-252-7414 or visit LehighValleySmiles.net and fill out a contact sheet.