Laser use for esthetic soft tissue modification

In esthetic dentistry, expanding the evaluation beyond the teeth is necessary to achieve a truly desirable result. The lips, attached and unattached mucosa, free gingival margin, and osseous position and contours must be considered and changed if necessary. Although many treatment modalities are available to accomplish these modifications, the use of lasers of varying wavelengths provides advantages not possible by other means. Lasers are often thought of as generic instruments, but different laser wavelengths function differently, and each has its place in the esthetic continuum. Diode, neodymium:YAG, CO(2) and erbium lasers each have advantages that can be exploited to maximum effect and disadvantages that must be taken into consideration. A thorough understanding of their mechanism of action, their tissue effects, and laser safety is vital to obtaining excellent results.