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Patients who have undergone treatment with the Waterlase report a sensation of water splashing as if on the back of their hand or a paint brush lightly dabbing their cheek. Lasers appeared on the dental scene in the late 1990s, but the Waterlase version is a step ahead of those initial systems. The Waterlase, introduced about a year ago, actually does use water. The laser itself is not the agent for removal of the affected tissue. Water is energized by the light photons emitted by the laser and treats the affected area.

"The most significant effect to the patient isn't that there is no shot, no drill and no numbness, but the decreased healing time," the doctor continued. "Things heal faster because the laser eliminates the bad tissue, sterilizes and decontaminates. It leaves the good stuff and takes away the bad "

New information on the importance of dental care is continually coming to light, and correlations between tooth and gum disease and other serious ailments are emphasizing the necessity of quality dental treatment for long­term health. According to Dr. Dick, the most prevalent disease known to mankind is gun disease in which pockets may develop around the teeth, and gums become irritated and may bleed. lf left untreated, this infection may spread to the surrounding bone, actually causing loss of teeth and of bone.

"There are a whole list of things that poor oral health can cause, and these are serious systemic effects such as strokes, heart attacks, pre-term babies and diabetes" the doctor stressed. "Studies show that the laser's decontaminating and sterilizing of the hard tooth structure actually makes that tooth structure resistant. This takes the realm of dentistry into a whole new perspective. The role of the dentist becomes one like the physician diagnosing and treating and caring for general health as a result of what they see in the mouth. If you think about the concept of heart disease being the number one killer in America, that is significant. Before, we were talking in terms of the manifestations of a systemic disease in the mouth, some side effects or symptoms showing up in the mouth. Now, we have the opportunity to treat a systemic disease orally. That's not the way people were thinking ten years ago, even in the dental community."

Along with Dr. Dick, other area dental practitioners have begun using the laser as well. They include Dr. Joseph Chung, who practices general dentistry in Collegedale, Dr. Joel Berlin, an endodontist whose office is on Shallowford Road and Dr. Donald Fillman of the Northwest Dental Center in Ringgold.

The number of lasers employed nation­wide is continuing to grow, and the capital investment required is significant. Biolase is estimated to have an 80 percent share of the laser market, and the cost of a system such as Dr. Dick's is approximately $50,000.

"If something is a worthwhile investment, then this would be it," he commented. "I watched this technology closely for so many years - this company with this product and that company with that product. This is a wonderful new and innovative thing even if it is used for nothing but anesthesia. It can take longer to use the laser, depending on the situation, because it is not as quick at removing tissue as a scalpel or a drill. You have to pay attention to the patient, to their response and to the total situation. It is an individual thing for sure. Many times, because of the time element, you might use the laser to get the tooth numb, sterilize and decontaminate and then use the drill with a light, gentle touch."

With the advent of the dental laser, a new frontier has emerged in dental care, for patients with health-related issues and those seeking improvements to their appearance. Baby boomers are interested in living longer, looking better and being healthier. Advances in cosmetic dentistry offer the prospect of a beautiful smile.

Technology with applications in dentistry has progressed by leaps and bounds in recent years. "The computer is the thing that controls it all in a dental office," explained Dr. Dick. "Until relatively recently, so many technological improvements were developing, like radio visiography, dental photography, record keeping and diagnostic things. The word for the last decade was 'user friendly' and it really was not user friendly. Systems were not integrated, but now they are touching on it."

"I have a friend who, eight years ago, was committed to integrating his systems," the doctor continued. "He hired an outside computer technologist person to help integrate, and he bought this software and that system and put it all together. He spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and said, 'Well, we made it work, but it really wasn't worth it: About 20 years ago, I was in practice with other dentists, and we spent $85,000 on the latest, greatest computer technology to keep track of eight providers and handle patient information. We could schedule on the computer, but it was still easier by hand. As technology has improved, we have been able to more easily integrate and make things easier to do. We have certainly moved in that direction."

Besides better care in the dentist's chair, another welcome benefit of improving technology is responsiveness to patients' questions and concerns. Dr. Dick related, "At one time, if you had a question, we would have to say wait a minute and take the time to look through 5,000 records, pull yours, and dump it on the table, whereas now we can literally have anything about a patient's information, treatment, history, x-rays and pictures a click away. We see your picture, so we know who we're talking with, and we also see pictures of your mouth so we know what is going on there. We can zoom in and see just a little crack in a tooth. We don't ever have to pull a record, and when you see 30 patients a day, that labor alone requires a full time person."

With quicker and easier access to information, other medical professionals can be brought in for consultations when necessary via simple e-mail attachment, and the days of spending hours in the darkroom processing film are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. State-of-the-art digital x­ray equipment reduces a patient's radiation exposure by 50 percent or more. Digital color matching enhances the looks of cosmetic work, as the dentist is able to match the color of surrounding teeth perfectly. In the past, this was done strictly through a subjective visual process. Today, the match is perfect every time.

Research involving stem cells and the growth of tissue in the laboratory may result in a new array of safer, more effective tissue grafting procedures. Bonding materials, which add strength to fillings and crowns, are now in their fifth generation of improvement during the last three decades.

The use of the laser and other current processes are rapidly becoming the standard in dental care. As amazing as they are, these advances could just be the beginning of a healthcare revolution. "