UCSF

Tooth extraction is a common surgical procedure that includes severing hard and soft tissue to remove the tooth from its alveolar bony housing. Following extraction, normal stages of wound healing occur, including pain and inflammation, proliferation, and maturation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of laser hemostasis on pain and soft tissue healing following tooth extraction. Ten patients who were referred for simple premolar extractions for orthodontic reasons participated in the study, for a total of 32 sites. Sites were randomly allocated to control or intervention group. Following simple tooth extraction, buccolingual (BL) and mesiodistal (MD) measurements were made, and the intervention sockets received treatment from an Nd:YAG laser on the “hemostasis” setting in contact mode (4W, 1064 nm, 20 Hz, 515 µs pulse duration). Patients were given routine post-operative instructions, as well as a pain assessment survey to be completed day 1, 2, 3, and 7 following the procedure. Additional measurements were made at one- and two-week follow up. Overall, there was low reported pain following tooth extraction on all days and no complications noted. Significantly faster soft tissue healing occurred in the laser group in both BL and MD dimension at one week, and in the MD direction at two weeks. Faster soft tissue healing occurred in the laser group in the BL dimension at two weeks but did not reach statistical significance. Future studies are needed with more patients and more complex extractions to further elucidate the benefits of laser therapy following tooth extraction.