It seems like cold sores always appear right before you have an event coming up. These clusters of blisters, caused by the herpes simplex virus, can be painful, itchy, and unsightly. Cold sores can last anywhere from 7-10 days, though it can be longer if you give into the temptation to pick at the blisters.
As for treatments, home remedies and topical ointments may shave a few days off the life of the cold sore. But dentists have developed a way to treat cold sores quickly and effectively with laser dentistry.
How Laser Dentistry Can Treat Cold Sores
The herpes simplex virus lives in the nervous system and tends to erupt when the immune system is depressed. Since the virus hides below the surface, this is why the topical treatments are not effective.
When it comes to laser dentistry, a trained dentist will use laser technology to apply heat to the cold sore. The laser’s heat is focused so the rest of your skin isn’t heated. It also does not come in direct contact with your skin. With the focused heat from the laser, the virus is killed. The laser’s heat also opens the blood vessels in the area which promotes faster healing of the cold sore.
Results Of Using Laser Dentistry On Cold Sores
Depending on when in the herpes simplex virus outbreak you receive laser treatment, you will have differing results.
- Pre-outbreak – If you have your cold sore treated prior to the visible outbreak, the laser will kill the virus. This will keep it from erupting at all. You can identify a potential cold sore outbreak by tenderness and heat around the future site of eruption.
- Post-outbreak – If you have your cold sore treated post-outbreak, the laser will still kill the virus but not repair the outer blisters. The painful sensations will end with the death of the virus, and the cold sore will not spread anymore. With the laser accelerating the healing, the outward effects of the virus will heal quickly.
You may still experience cold sores after receiving a laser dentistry treatment, as the virus cannot be permanently killed. However, the time span between cold sore breakouts will increase due to treatment. Also, the laser treatment can prevent eruptions from occurring in the same location.
All this can be accomplished in about a 15-minute dentist visit! So not only do you remove your cold sore, it also takes next to no time at all. So come have your cold sore laser treatments and other cosmetic dentistry services done at Taylor General and Cosmetic Dentistry.
