This is a guest article by Bart Wolbers of Light Therapy Insiders. Bart finished degrees in Physical Therapy (B), Philosophy (BA and MA), Philosophy of Science and Technology (MS - with distinction), and Clinical Health Science (MS), has had training in functional medicine, and is currently chief science writer at Light Therapy Insiders.
I have specialized in red light therapy for oral health in the last few months. I have written many articles on the topic and wanted to share some of my most important lessons. To learn more, check out my complete article on red light therapy for oral health or the laser dentistry event I attended.
These blogs are quite detailed, however, and hence I share an overview with you today.
Here are my top 10 lessons of my last few months’ deep dive into light therapy for dentistry:
1. Oral Health Is A Prime Focus Of The Photobiomodulation Research
The scientific name of red light therapy is “photobiomodulation”—or “light affecting life.” A dentist and great researcher in this field, Vladimir Heiskanen, has created a database of all that research (1).
As of this moment, that database contains around 8,300 studies. Of these 8,300, there are 1,800+ studies concerning light therapy and oral health. That’s more than 20% of current light therapy studies!
Topics are incredibly far-ranging, such as painkilling for anesthesia injections or even tooth extractions, jaw pain, nerve conditions around the mouth, periodontal health, tooth hypersensitivity, and more!
Nevertheless, the surprising finding is that there is an enormous amount of research on red light therapy for oral health, even though that fact is rarely emphasized. We don’t even see many products on oral health!
2. Consumer Red Light Therapy Products For Oral Health Will Rapidly Start Expanding
Yes, I’m saying “start expanding”! There aren’t many red light therapy products for oral health on the consumer market right now.
In my articles, I focused on LightpathLED’s Diesel Torch, to which you can add an intraoral tip for a small price, as this was one of the only high-quality products around!
The intraoral tip is a real innovation in the space. It allows you to treat any tissue in the oral cavity. The torch can also treat areas around the face, such as the jaw, without the attached intraoral tip.
Nevertheless, given the staggering amount of research on red light therapy for oral health, I was surprised that there weren’t that many consumer products on the market right now. LightpathLED had a real primer here, to the best of my knowledge, by introducing the first product that allows you to treat any tissue in the oral cavity with ease!
And, due to the large amounts of positive study outcomes - even many that are life-changing - I fully expect this product category to take off soon. I expect big competition in the torch/intraoral category, such as specialized devices for periodontal care that you can put in your mouth while watching television and more! There’s simply too much positive research coming out on this topic for it to be ignored:
3. Red Light Therapy For Oral Health Often Leads To Life-Changing Results!
You’ve seen these statements on red light therapy everywhere, right? Statements such as:
“Red light therapy improves your energy levels, lowers chronic inflammation, aids your sleep quality, sets your circadian rhythm, inhibits pain such as neuropathic pain and joint pain, boosts muscle recovery and performance, and much more!”
If you’re reading that statement for the first time, you’ll think it’s too good to be true. And yet, after researching this topic, you’ll have to conclude that the above statement is true.
So when I make similar statements, such as:
“One or a few red light therapy sessions can reduce dental hypersensitivity by 40 - 70%!”
“Often, patients have huge reductions in jaw pain and dysfunction with a single light therapy session, and complete remission of their symptoms if they retain regular treatment.”
“Less than 60 seconds of red light therapy helps reduce the fear and pain experienced by children for getting dental injections by 30%!”
You’d think I’d either be exaggerating or lying. But that’s not the case. The statements listed above are correct, and similar results have been achieved in many of the other related cases! Yes, there are a few domains where red light therapy won’t work for oral health, but generally, outcomes are excellent.
4. Dentists Are Increasingly Applying Light Therapy And Expect Dentistry To Be Revolutionized By It
I talked to many professors in laser dentistry - the field that uses laser light to improve outcomes for dentistry patients. One of these interviews was with Professor Samir Nammour, who has been in the laser dentistry field for 4+ decades.
Professor Namour is convinced that laser dentistry will revolutionize dentistry in the future. And he’s also been convinced that many of the results can be life-changing for patients.
But why haven’t we seen more results then? Why is this trend only happening now, when lasers have been available for decades? Well, costs are the main problem. Laser applications in dentistry often cost a few thousand USD to begin with. And, for some laser application devices, you can run into the tens of thousands of USD.
Most dentists in the developing world cannot afford these prices. Many dentists in the developed world may be able to afford these devices, but they’re simply uneducated about the benefits.
So, a combination of costs and education is impeding the widespread adoption of light therapy in dentistry right now. Costs are coming down big time, which is great - partly due to the more affordable LEDs.
Professor Nammour and I mainly had the same experience. When talking about the fantastic results that can be achieved with light therapy in dentistry, most dentists won’t believe it until they see it with their own eyes. Of course, there’s a simple reason for that initial reaction: You and I have been conditioned never to believe claims that are too good to be true!
Nevertheless, the virtuous cycle has begun! More and more dentists are applying light therapy. As a result, the costs of the products are coming down because manufacturers can sell a higher quantity of products at lower margins and still be profitable. Dentists using light therapy leads to many incredible testimonials, which drives demand for the industry yet again!
5. Light Therapy Will Change Preventive Oral Healthcare As Well
I wrote the following about Professor Nammour’s work on caries in my World Federation of Laser Dentistry congress review:
“Nevertheless, the most important finding of Prof Nammour is that "previous studies have recorded the reduction of caries-like lesions by lased enamel". So, by dentists applying light therapy, you lower caries risk.
Different lasers can be used for that process. The lasers have two effects here. First, there are physical changes that lower the permeability of the enamel. Imagine your enamel has a higher density, like a rock that becomes harder.
Secondly, chemical changes are reducing the solubility of the enamel. Here, you can imagine the outer layer of your teeth is more resistant to insults from sparkling water with lemon juice or the effects of microbes in your mouth after you consume a sugary drink.”
Hence, red light therapy can play an integral part in preventing caries, the main problem that many dental problems start with. Another huge issue in dentistry is periodontal care. Here, too, starting with light therapy early may save a lot of cost and suffering over time.
About 70 - 75% of studies on periodontal health currently show positive outcomes (1). Periodontal health is critical as it’s the gateway to many other dental problems once it starts deteriorating. Light therapy is a real game-changer, helping reverse periodontal disease and making already healthy gums even healthier.
Many people end up with gingivitis (inflamed gums) or periodontitis (receding gums). This process leads to inflammation, even more gum recession, and eventual tooth loss. Traditionally, dentists clean the area and surgically reattach the gum in a more favorable position. Here too, light therapy can help these procedures by aiding the healing process, lowering inflammation, and improving the outcomes of the surgical process. We do need more studies on preventive care in periodontal health with light therapy, although current research is very impressive already!
6. Light Therapy Is Only Part Of The Holistic Oral Care Solution
So a few developments next to light therapy are really promising. One here is “orofacial harmonization”, which involves surgery to the jaw, face, and neck region to optimize oral health.
Some of my dentist friends are specialized in this approach. The surgery in orofacial harmonization and every part of the dentist visit is paired with light therapy (2). For instance, when they walk into the dentist's office, patients are offered intravenous red light therapy to prepare their bodies for any dentistry procedure.
Light therapy is also applied locally after a dentistry procedure. All of these factors work together. People can often breathe better by optimizing the jaw, face, and neck structure. And with better (nasal only) breathing, oral health dramatically improved. In that way, everything is interconnected in dentistry.
“Platelet-Rich Plasma” (PRP) is another more recent therapeutic approach that helps heal tissues much more quickly (3; 4). PRP may have a prominent place in oral surgery, in simple prevention of tooth decay, in optimizing the structure of the periodontium, and more. I’ve seen unbelievable results with PRP in other applications, such as torn ligaments and wound healing, so I’m really hopeful this development works well in dentistry too.
From clinical application, I know that people use light therapy in combination with PRP for the best results! So, all of these innovations work really well with light therapy...
7. Light Therapy Can Alter The Oral Microbiome
The oral microbiome is becoming more and more critical in healthcare. Next to the gut microbiome, which became famous in the last two decades, it’s now known that you’ve got a microbiome in many places, such as your skin, lungs, and oral cavity, among others!
By applying Photo-Dynamic Therapy (PDT) and having light interact with a compound in your mouth, you can reduce the number of harmful bacteria by up to 95%. These are the bacteria that cause inflammation in your gums and cause tooth decay. With that method, the PDT protocol outperforms traditional dentistry treatments such as “scaling and root planing,” where plaque is mechanically removed under the gum which you normally cannot reach by brushing!
Now, your oral microbiome matters a lot, not just for the health of your mouth but for systemic health as well. There’s a likely link (probably through oral health in general) with heart and blood vessel conditions, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and some forms of cancer. The microbiome is strongly linked to periodontal health, and poor periodontal health is linked to these previous conditions.
Interestingly, the PDT works with well-known compounds in the biohacking industry, such as curcumin and methylene blue. Those two compounds simply interact with the correct wavelengths of light. Therefore these PDT therapies are easy to implement on a much broader scale if people knew how to. You just need the substance and a light therapy device with the correct wavelengths, power, application location, etcetera.
If you wish to learn more about this topic, read Professor Kinga Grzech-Leśniak’s and Professor Letícia Helena Theodoro's dozens of publications online!
8. Protocols Don’t Have To Be Complicated - The Dental Hypersensitivity And Periodontium Protocols With The Diesel Torch
For each oral health goal or condition, there’s a specialized protocol best supported by scientific evidence. Sometimes, you can carry out these protocols from the comfort of your home–and sometimes, you can’t, in cases such as tooth extractions or other surgical procedures.
But a few straightforward light therapy protocols can be applied with the Diesel Torch if you’ve got the intraoral tip. Here are two examples that affect many people:
- For periodontal inflammation or disease, you’ll need a protocol similar to skin or wound healing. From all the literature I’ve looked at, you’ll need to apply the intraoral tip 50 seconds to the periodontal location affected. For instance, this can be a gum around the tooth that’s sensitive or if you’ve got redness in your gums. You can repeat this process for as many locations on your gums as needed. Simply treat an area where you’ve got issues, move half an inch to the side, and treat that location as well. Treat your gums up to three times per week with this protocol. Ideally, the intraoral tip is located directly against the gum, or the light is projected very close to that gum.
- For dentin hypersensitivity, you’ll need a maximum application time of 2 minutes. With one or a few sessions, many study participants regularly achieve 40 - 70% reductions in hypersensitivity, which often lasts for months. Apply the intraoral tip directly to the crown of the tooth and wait for 1 - 2 minutes. Then, wait for a week before treating the tooth again. Sensitivity to cold, hotness, and mechanical pressure should all decline.
The key with the red light therapy dosing is not to do too little but not too much either. A low dose may not have the maximum effect you’re hoping for. An excessively high dose may impede results as well, just like overtraining in the gym will. So you’ll have to stay close to the sweet spot.
Please remember that your lifestyle and nutrition also greatly affect both conditions. In your diet, sufficient minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K2) can work well for dentin hypersensitivity. Hydroxyapatite toothpaste may also reduce dentin hypersensitivity. And, you’ll have to be very careful with bruxism - the grinding of teeth during the day and at night - and wear a mouth guard at night if you’ve got this condition.
A diet rich in vitamins and minerals for periodontal disease will help wonders. Avoiding mouth breathing helps, too, as does smoking and drinking, which are substantial risk factors. Also, visiting the dentist regularly for a bi-yearly cleaning helps gum health, as does daily flossing.
So, once again, all the factors for oral health interact!
9. For Dentists: Universities Now Offer Courses In Laser Dentistry
For dentists, many different courses in laser dentistry are offered worldwide. One example is the “European Master Degree in Oral Laser Applications“, a program that spans six different European Universities. This program has been active for more than 20 years now and spans 60 ECTS in classes that last two years (5; 6). There’s also a post-graduate offering, “Professional Advanced Program in Laser Dentistry," at the State University of New York at Buffalo, USA (7).
So, laser dentistry has been serious for a long time! The reason for this is the complexity of the topic - remember that I’ve already spent 2 years on light therapy full-time and cannot even completely understand all the details perfectly! The light therapy journey is more of a marathon than a sprint…
When you’re a dentist you usually are not trained in laser dentistry when you become a dentist. And yet, dentists don’t just carry out non-invasive procedures with lasers–they also replace many of their surgical procedures with lasers! Of course, you’d also have to be an oral surgeon for that goal.
Nevertheless, laser dentistry is a genuine specialization. And the reasons here are significant: with lasers, you can more precisely target tissue, such as soft tissues, without affecting your teeth or jaw or targeting the teeth without affecting the soft tissues.
So to learn about laser dentistry, dentists and related professionals need to know about physics (such as optics), the interactions between lasers and different tissues, how to safely perform laser procedures, the differences in applying lasers in various fields such as endodontics or for jaw problems, and getting clinical experience!
Fortunately, this field is moving forward. More and more dentists are applying lasers in their daytime practice, even though it’s still a new field! Many, in a decade or two, laser (and LED!) light will be part of the general dentistry curriculum if prices have come down dramatically. That latter trend has already started, fortunately.
And, in my epic research journey the last few months, I’ve come across dentists who use lasers in their daily practice from many different nations. Whether it’s Poland or Brazil (one of the top 3 countries in the field!), Japan, the USA, or Mexico - almost every nation is represented!
The best part for patients?!
If you wish to hire a dentist who specializes in laser dentistry, you can probably find them in your country! You’ll just have to do a little bit of searching.
10. The Future Is Bright For Light Therapy In Dentistry!
Over the last few years, I’ve seen many remarkable developments in dentistry. One example here is hydroxyapatite toothpaste which seems to be remineralizing the enamel and dentin just as well as fluoride (mostly a toxin), without any side effects! Then there’s the fact that many healing mechanisms can be boosted through Platelet-Rich Plasma. And then there’s the growing awareness that proper airway function and nasal breathing have a massive effect on your overall oral microbiome and health!
Light therapy for dentistry can be added to that list!
And that’s great. The consequence is that the field of dentistry will no longer be the same it was in the 1990s or 2000s. You’ll have less pain (and anxiety) visiting a dentist, quicker healing, better holistic management, great insight into what lifestyle changes you can implement for better oral health, and more!
The future is likely very bright for light therapy in oral health! We’ve got 1,800+ studies on the topic, which is growing exponentially. The number of both professional and consumer-grade light therapy devices is growing every year, and are often offered at lower prices. Dentists themselves are adopting the technique, although slowly for now. And, you’ve got massive results for both prevention and curative reasons, making light therapy a force to be reckoned with in future health and wellness!
References:
(1) Heiskanen V. Photobiomodulation (PBM) research - a comprehensive database.
(2) Bulegon A, Sebben V, Rigo L. Assessment of Pain and Satisfaction After Orofacial Harmonization Procedures. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2024 Sep 13. doi: 10.1007/s00266-024-04348-9. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39269477.
(3) Xu J, Gou L, Zhang P, Li H, Qiu S. Platelet-rich plasma and regenerative dentistry. Aust Dent J. 2020 Jun;65(2):131-142. doi: 10.1111/adj.12754. Epub 2020 Mar 24. PMID: 32145082; PMCID: PMC7384010.
(4) Egierska D, Perszke M, Mazur M, Duś-Ilnicka I. Platelet-rich plasma and platelet-rich fibrin in oral surgery: A narrative review. Dent Med Probl. 2023 Jan-Mar;60(1):177-186. doi: 10.17219/dmp/147298. PMID: 37023345.
(5) World Federation for Laser Dentistry (WFLD). EMDOLA.
(6) EMDOLA website. (European Master degree in Oral Laser applications), University of Liège, University of Parma, University of Barcelona, University of Rome "La Sapienza" University of Timisoara, University of Wroclaw.
(7) WFLD Laser. Samir Nammour Biography.