A number of weeks ago I began a conversation about low level lasers that I somehow accidentally placed in the thread of the ND:Yag. I eventually stopped because of deadlines I had for future speaking engagements. There certainly was a mixed response, but I felt it would only be found by a few people in that thread. My deadlines are over and I will be able to devote a bit more time to this discussion. There was a request for double blinded studies and I will post a list of some that should be significant. There even was an expression that this discussion did not belong in this post. I will never stop bringing to other people what I now know that is making the biggest difference I could ever hope to make in helping humanity through dentistry. You all can pick and choose what is worthwhile for yourselves both from a scientific viewpoint and what can work clinically. I am very new to this forum having joined it very recently. My thinking is that this should be placed under “misc. lasers not talked about” or better yet a new thread called Low Level Lasers. Before I go on, I would like feedback on where to place my post. I said before and will say again that if I only could keep one piece of dental equipment beside the usual drill and fill, it would be my low level laser. Please see my info and see that I am also involved with dental consulting and lecture for and represent a company that sell low level lasers. I do realize profit from sales. I do not want to mislead anyone about that. That is not my purpose here or when I speak about LLL before groups. For starters, I am referring always to low level laser diodes. LEDs are called LLL also, but are far less effective and are not anything I will talk about. There are many differences in LLLs and I do not want to discuss that here in this forum. It would be construed as selling and promoting. I can talk about LLLs many uses in the dental practice. They do not replace the cutting laser (I have one), but can enhance that treatment also. My biggest mission is teaching the concept of Dental Distress Syndrome (DDS) and how it relates to the overall health and well being of almost every immune suppressed person. The LLL is what makes the treatment work so effectively and so quickly. Since I learned about this concept 41.5 months ago, every chronically sick person I have examined in my dental office has DDS. I see a lot of sick patients because I have an amalgam free office since 1993. As someone trained in Prosthetics, I have spent many years (41) grinding on old amalgam and have always felt, that cannot be a healthy thing to do. I made a conscious decision not to be exposed to it anymore then I had to, so I decided to reduce my exposure to mercury vapors by not placing it. My decision was made for myself on a personal level to be away from mercury. Back to the point at hand; they come to me for amalgam removal thinking they will get better if the amalgams are removed. Absolutely every chronic fatigue, arthritic, migraine, TMJ/TMD, chronic neck, compressed vertebrae, I.B.S., and everything else you can think of examines positively for DDS. I do not do even consider amalgam removal until the DDS has been non-invasively temporarily corrected and the symptoms have gone away or greatly reduced. Some stop their treatment at that point and get by with less then the ideal. But they are better, they can return to work etc. Many do want more definitive dentistry and that does occur. It is the laser that facilitates what I do and makes everything happen immediately for most. I cannot ever imagine practicing without one for all of its’ many uses.
. Using LLL in your practice will not diminish one iota the need for hot lasers. You will use your cutting laser more because you will be busier. You will be a more complete healer because you will help patients solve problems beyond the drill, fill and bill concept.
Dental Distress Syndrome (DDS) is also called negative proprioceptive feedback to the brain. It has to do with what the cerebral cortex interprets from how the mandible is in relationship to the skull. That interpretation believe it or not affects the entire body’s functions. This is not a tooth to tooth, but jaw to skull relationship. It sounds complicated and may scare people who want to just keep it simple. I refer you all to ‘The Dental Physician’ by A.E. Fonder. It is out of print, last published in 1982 but available. The laser makes it simple, makes the dentist a hero, allows wellness to take over and creates people who are genuinely happy to see you. It takes a very short time and the internal marketing happens naturally. When a patient has had a long appointment, 30 seconds on the TMJ area makes all the difference. The laser I am using has a face on it the width of tennis ball and contains 12 laser diodes. Again, I want to avoid any accusation of commercialism, but like cutting lasers there are differences and different responses.
I see how time consuming writing posts can be, so please offer comments if and what you might want to read/talk about on this post and again where I should put this. Below is a list of some studies.
List of significant research in LLLs for dentistry.
1.The Efficacy of Laser Therapy in Wound Repair:
A Meta-Analysis of the ‘Literature
Woodruff, L.D., Bounkea, J,M., Brannon, W.,M., Dawes, K.S., Barham, CD., Waddell, D.L.,
Enwemeka, C.S.
Photomedicine and laser surgery 2004 ,
22(3):241-247
2. Effectiveness of the GaAIAs (830nm) Diode
Laser for Pain Attenuation in Selected Pain
Groups
Shigeo Toya, Mitsuo Motegi, Kenichiro Inomata, Toshio Ohsiro and Takashi Maeda
Laser Therapy
Volume 6: 1996
Pp. 143-148
3. The Effects of GaAIAs Diode Laser on
Extraction Wound Healing
Ali Obeidi and Mohammad Moshref
American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery Abstracts
Abstract 48
4. Can Low Reactive-Level Laser ‘Therapy be Used
in the Treatment of Neurogenic Facial Pain? A
Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Investigation
of Patients with Trigeminal Neuralgia
Arne Eckerdal and J Lehmann Bastian
Laser Therapy
Volume 8: 1996
Pp: 247-252
5. Low Level Laser Therapy for Dentinal Tooth
Hypersensitivity
JA Gershman, J, Ruben, J, Gebart-Eaglemont
Australian Dental Journal
1994; 39(6) 353-7
6. Effect of the Clinical Application of the GaAlAs
Laser in the Treatment of Dentine Hypersensitivity.
Marsillo, A.L, Rodrigues,J.R., Borges, A.B.
Journal of Clincial Laser Medicine and Surgery 2003
.21(5): 291-296
7. PLASMA ACTH AND J3-ENDORPHIN LEVELS IN
RESPONSE TO LOW LEVEL LASER THERAPY (LLLT)
FOR MYO-FASCIAL TRIGGER POINTS
E. Liisa Laakso, Tess Cramond, Carolyn Richardson and John Galligan
Laser Therapy
Volume 7: July 1994
Pp: 133-140
8. Effect of Low-Power Laser Irradiation on Cell
Growth and Procollagen Synthesis of Cultured
Fibroblasts
Aymann Nassif Pereira, Carlos de Paula Eduardo, Edmir Matson and Marcia Martins Marques
Lasers in Surgery and Medicine
Volume 31: 2002
Pp: 263-267
