Laser Dentistry and Photobiomodulation
We use a Sirona SIROLaser Blue, a diode laser that carries three wavelengths in one unit. One cuts soft tissue cleanly and seals as it goes. One reduces bacteria in gum pockets and root canals. The third does not cut at all — it delivers photobiomodulation, low-level light used to settle pain and support healing after treatment.
- Laser
- Sirona SIROLaser Blue
- Wavelengths
- 445, 660, 970 nm
- Anaesthetic
- Local, for surgery
- Surgery from
- From S$272.50
- Photobiomodulation
- S$109
What each wavelength does
A single-wavelength laser does one job. This one does three, and which is used depends on what is being treated.
445 nm, visible blue — soft-tissue surgery. Cuts efficiently without touching the tissue and without needing the fibre tip initiated first. Used for frenectomy, reshaping gum, and removing small soft-tissue lesions. It seals as it cuts, so bleeding is limited and stitches are often unnecessary.
970 nm, invisible infrared — disinfection. The long-established dental wavelength, used to reduce bacterial levels: in periodontal pockets alongside cleaning, inside root canals as an adjunct to irrigation, and around implants where the surrounding tissue is inflamed.
660 nm, visible red — photobiomodulation. Neither cuts nor heats. Low-level light is applied to the tissue to settle discomfort and inflammation and to support healing.
What we use the surgical laser for
Tongue-tie and lip-tie release, where a functional restriction has been confirmed. Reshaping gum where its level or contour is the problem — before a crown margin is taken, or where tissue has overgrown. Treating ulcers. Decontaminating periodontal pockets alongside conventional cleaning, and treating inflamed tissue around an implant. Reducing bacteria inside a root canal as part of disinfecting it.
In every one of those, the laser is a way of carrying out a procedure that was already indicated. It does not widen who needs treatment.
Photobiomodulation
Photobiomodulation is the part patients tend not to have heard of. No cutting, no anaesthetic, nothing to recover from: red light is applied to the area for a few minutes at a power well below the level that would heat tissue.
We use it for pain and swelling after surgical treatment, for mouth ulcers and cold sores, for jaw joint and muscle pain, for dry socket, and to support recovery where sensation has been affected following surgery.
A session is S$109 including GST. The research behind it is stronger for some of those than for others. It is best established for the pain and inflammation that follow a procedure, which is also where we use it most. It is an adjunct: it makes recovery more comfortable alongside treating the underlying problem, rather than standing in for that treatment.
Who does this at Calm Dental
Fees for this treatment are on our fees page, including GST. A written quotation follows examination.
Questions
Does treatment with the laser hurt?
For soft-tissue surgery you have local or topical anaesthetic, the same as you would for any procedure in that area, and you feel pressure rather than cutting. Photobiomodulation is different: nothing is cut and the light is delivered at a level too low to heat the tissue, so most people feel nothing at all, or mild warmth.
Why use a laser rather than a blade?
For some soft-tissue work it is simply a better tool. The blue wavelength cuts and seals at the same time, so there is less bleeding, sutures are often unnecessary and the field stays clear while we work. It does not change who needs a procedure or whether one is worth doing — that decision is made first, and the laser only changes how it is carried out.
What is photobiomodulation?
Low-level red light applied to the tissue, at a power far below anything that cuts or heats. It is sometimes called low-level laser therapy or LLLT. The light is absorbed by the cells and is used to settle discomfort and inflammation and to support healing after a procedure. It is painless to receive and takes a few minutes.
What do you use photobiomodulation for?
Pain and swelling after surgical treatment, mouth ulcers and cold sores, jaw joint and muscle pain, dry socket, and supporting recovery where sensation has been affected after surgery. The evidence behind it is stronger for some of these than others, and it is best established for the pain and inflammation that follow a procedure.
Does photobiomodulation replace normal treatment?
No, it sits alongside it. An infected tooth still needs the infection dealt with and a painful joint still needs the cause looked at. Photobiomodulation is used to make recovery more comfortable, not as a treatment in its own right.
Who does this at Calm Dental?
The dentists listed on this page. Which wavelength is used, and whether a laser is the right tool at all, is decided at the examination.