Is a filling, inlay or crown coming up?
The drill
For removing decay, the drill remains our standard method: faster, with better feedback on the diseased tissue, and needed for shaping a restoration anyway. More under Fillings & Inlays.
Services · Splints & Specialized Treatments
Laser Dentistry
Gentler treatment where it helps, honest where it doesn't.
The laser works with focused light instead of a drill, scalpel or rinsing solution: precise, often without vibration, frequently without anaesthetic. It doesn't automatically make every treatment better, but many of them noticeably more comfortable; where that isn't the case, we say so.
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Laser DentistryErbium LaserDiode Laser
A different tool for the spots where it matters
Maybe you've already heard about laser dental treatment and wonder what that would mean for you. Many people feel two things at once: relief, because some things can be done without a drill or an injection, and a quiet scepticism towards big technology promises. Both feelings are reasonable, and we take both seriously.
A better tool doesn't automatically make every job better. It makes it gentler in the right spots. Where the laser can genuinely do something for you, we say so openly; where the traditional method is just as good or even better, we say that too.
How it would work for you
- Findings & suitability
The laser never stands on its own, it's part of a treatment you're already here for. In the findings, we check whether it can sensibly do something for you there.
- Explanation
We tell you what changes with the laser, usually less vibration, often less anaesthetic, and where the traditional method stays just as good or better.
- The procedure itself
The laser is used within the normal appointment for that treatment, not at a separate extra appointment. Everyone in the room wears laser safety glasses to protect their eyes.
- Finishing with light
We finish many procedures with a short round of photobiomodulation: a low-energy light that supports recovery afterwards.
Less drilling, fewer injections, where it's possible,and the certainty that we'll tell you when it isn't.
What it costs
The laser is almost never billed as a treatment of its own, it's a private add-on within the treatment it belongs to: a root canal, a filling, or a small procedure on the gums, for example. What it costs therefore doesn't depend on the laser itself, but on the treatment it's part of.
Your entitlement to the underlying covered service stays untouched by this. The laser comes on top as an additional, privately agreed service, if you'd like it. If the treatment itself is private anyway, the laser portion is also billed under the standard private dental fee schedule. Photobiomodulation, the brief finishing light used after many procedures, is billed separately, not through this add-on.
You always learn the cost in writing beforehand, before anything happens, including for the laser portion, whether it's added to a covered service or a private one.
When something else is a better fit
The laser isn't a replacement for the traditional method, it's the gentler way to achieve the same thing in certain situations. Where a drill, scalpel or rinse is just as good or better, we say so, and don't use the laser just because we have it.
One fixed limit applies to any restoration placed from outside the tooth: a filling made of inlay, partial crown or crown material needs a specific wall shape formed with a drill. The laser can remove the decay beforehand. The shaping itself is then done with the drill.
Does the root need thorough disinfection?
Root canal treatment
In root canal treatment, we clean the canal with a chemical rinse, which the laser complements rather than replaces. The full process is under Root Canal Treatment.
Are the gum pockets already deep and inflamed?
Periodontal treatment
Only with advanced periodontitis is the laser a gentle alternative to surgery. We deliberately don't use it for routine cleaning. The full picture is under Periodontal Treatment.
The laser is an additional tool, not a replacement for the craft. It's used where it genuinely does something for you.
Whether laser treatment is the right path for you or something else, we'll work that out together.
Zahngesundheit verstehen, Entscheidung leben.
If you'd like to know more
The applications we use the laser for
The laser isn't a separate appointment with us, it's part of various treatments. Which one applies to you is decided by the findings; most people only encounter it in a single spot:
- Removing decay, often without vibration and without an injection; with us, the drill still remains the standard method, the laser is the gentler option if you'd like it.
- Small procedures on the gums, a restrictive frenulum, a small tissue sample: cutting is done with light instead of a blade, usually without stitches.
- Removing old ceramic restorations (debonding): if a veneer or crown needs replacing, the laser releases the bonding layer underneath, without drilling the restoration out.
- Sensitive tooth necks: the laser can make oversensitive spots less sensitive; results vary, and we don't promise a guaranteed outcome.
- Cold sores on the lip: caught early, ideally at the first tingle, an early lesion can be treated with the laser.
One fixed limit applies to any restoration placed from outside the tooth: a filling made of inlay, partial crown or crown material needs a specific wall shape that only a drill can create. The laser can remove the decay beforehand; the shaping itself is then done with the drill.
Photobiomodulation, the low-energy light at the end of many procedures
Alongside the working laser, we often use a second, low-energy light: photobiomodulation, sometimes casually called "soft laser". It removes nothing and doesn't cut, it eases pain after a procedure, and for procedures on the gums it also supports early healing. It only takes a short time and is billed separately.
We use the same light application for painful jaw joint and chewing muscle complaints too. It eases the symptoms but doesn't treat their cause. The functional splint addresses the cause itself.
Does laser treatment hurt, and do I need an injection?
We often manage without an injection, especially for removing decay and for small procedures, that's one of the advantages. But it isn't guaranteed to be painless, and some things still need an anaesthetic. What to expect for your specific step is something we tell you beforehand.
Why does everyone in the treatment room wear safety glasses?
That's not a sign of danger, it's normal standard practice: the focused beam of light could damage the eye with direct exposure, so you, we, and anyone accompanying you wear laser safety glasses while the laser is running. A single pair covers both of our lasers.
How long does a laser treatment take?
That depends on the treatment the laser is part of. A small procedure on the gums is usually done in a single, short appointment; laser decay removal happens within a normal filling appointment. Removing material with the laser is slower than with a drill, but the wait for the anaesthetic to take effect is often skipped. On balance, the time difference usually stays within reasonable limits.
Is laser treatment suitable for children or anxious patients too?
For people who fear the drill or the injection, the laser is often a noticeable relief: less vibration, less noise, often no injection. Whether it fits in your individual case is something we work out from the findings. With children, we use it at the parents' explicit request; how treatment for children generally works is under Children's Dentistry.
What's the difference between your two lasers?
The wavelength, and with it, what the light reaches. The Erbium laser works with water and is the only one of the two that can work on hard tooth structure and bone; on soft tissue, it cuts especially gently. The diode laser is absorbed by soft tissue. It cuts and seals at the gums, disinfects at depth, and handles photobiomodulation.