One gentle laser, many treatments: what Solea® does at Westside

October at Westside is about gentle laser dentistry, so this is a plain explanation of the machine behind it. Solea® is a dental laser that works on both teeth and gums. For many of the things a dentist does every day it replaces the drill, and for most of those it also replaces the freezing injection. Here is what it is used for in our West Springs clinic, what it does not replace, and what a visit feels like.

Fillings without the needle

A filling starts with removing decay. Solea does that with a beam of light instead of a spinning bur, so there is no vibration and no drill sound. Because the laser is gentle on the tooth, most fillings are done without any freezing – you leave with normal feeling in your lip and tongue, and you can eat and talk straight away. It also means more than one area of the mouth can be treated in a single visit, instead of coming back for each side.

Children

Children rarely remember the filling; they remember the needle and the numb lip afterwards. With Solea, most children’s fillings happen without either. Visits are shorter and quieter, and there is no bitten cheek on the way home. We wrote a separate article on laser dentistry for children.

Tongue-tie and lip-tie release

A tight band of tissue under the tongue or lip can affect feeding in babies, speech and swallowing in children, and tongue posture and sleep in adults. Solea releases the tissue in minutes with minimal bleeding and no stitches. For older children and adults the release is paired with myofunctional therapy – simple tongue and lip exercises before and after – so the new freedom of movement becomes a habit. Read more about laser frenectomy.

Snoring: Solea Sleep

Solea Sleep is a short laser treatment of the soft palate – the floppy tissue at the back of the roof of the mouth that vibrates when you snore. The laser gently firms that tissue, which may reduce snoring over the following weeks. It takes a few minutes, uses a comfort spray rather than an injection, and most people go straight back to their day. One rule applies to every snoring patient here: a sleep assessment with Dr. Sabah Jarullah, our family physician, comes first, because snoring can be a sign of sleep apnea, which a physician diagnoses and which Solea Sleep does not treat. Learn more on our snoring page.

Cold sores and canker sores

A brief, non-contact pass of the laser over a cold sore or canker sore can ease the discomfort, and it works best early, when you first feel the tingle. There is no injection and the visit is short – ask the front desk for a same-week appointment when one is starting.

Gums

Soft-tissue work is where a laser is at its most useful: reshaping an uneven gumline or a gummy smile, removing small growths, exposing more of a tooth before a crown (crown lengthening), lightening dark patches of gum (depigmentation), taking a small biopsy, and supporting treatment of gum disease. Most of these are done with a topical gel rather than a needle, with little bleeding and a quick recovery.

What Solea does not replace

Crowns, extractions, root canals and some deep restorations still need conventional care, and there are patients and teeth for which freezing is simply the right choice. Dr. Zubaida Hussain decides at your exam which tools fit your treatment – the laser is one of several, not a rule.

What a visit feels like

You wear protective glasses and can put on headphones. The laser arrives with a cool mist of water and air, and most patients describe a light tapping or a cool sensation rather than pressure. There is no numb face afterwards, so the visit is over when it is over. Nitrous oxide is still available for anyone who is anxious about the chair itself – the two work well together.

Westside is in West Springs, Calgary SW. New patients and families are welcome, we follow the Alberta Dental Fee Guide, accept the Canadian Dental Care Plan and bill most insurers directly. Evening appointments on Tuesdays and alternating Saturdays.

Questions patients ask