Laser Soft Tissue Troughing with Veneer Preparations
Laser soft tissue troughing is a restorative soft tissue management approach that utilizes a diode laser to create controlled gingival troughs surrounding a tooth preparation. This minimally invasive procedure facilitates optimal visualization of the prepared tooth margins, thereby enabling the acquisition of highly accurate digital impressions crucial for accurate restorative procedures such as veneers and full-crown restorations. In this demonstration, the Odyssey Diode Laser is utilized with a 400 µm primed tip set at 0.8 watts, ensuring precise tissue ablation with minimal collateral thermal damage. The use of low-energy settings promotes conservative tissue management, significantly reducing the risk of post-operative recession and patient discomfort, while ensuring a predictable, tissue-sparing surface contouring for enhanced restorative precision and longevity.