Anesthesia & Pain Management Insider: 9 ways patients benefit from low-level laser therapy

Dear Anesthesia & Pain Management Insider,

Technology is an amazing thing. We are becoming more and more advanced in the dental industry and our society as a whole. Part of those advancements can lead to better quality of life for our patients as well.

With that in mind, we're honored to have Dr. Mel Burchman, the current president of the Academy of Laser Dentistry, writing this issue's Insider Exclusive and discussing how a different kind of laser (photobiomodulation or PBM) can provide pain relief as just one of the benefits of using it in the dental practice.

Dr. Burchman explains that PBM is a technology that is not mainstream in today's dental practice. However, that doesn't mean that it shouldn't be or won't be in the near future. Be sure to take a few moments to read his thoughts.

Also in the Anesthesia & Pain Management Community, we reported on how the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine has established opioid-free pain management guidelines for most procedures performed at its clinics. It is the first educational institution in the U.S. to take such action, according to the school. Read more about this bold move.

Can hypnosis and other mind-body therapies reduce the number of opioids needed to treat pain after dental surgery? Maybe, according to the findings of a systematic review recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine. It's an interesting read, so be sure to check it out.

Finally, benzocaine has been in the news lately, and, with that, here is another reminder for dental professionals about the anesthetic's potential problems as well as what they need to tell their patients about it. We have a podcast on the subject with dental pharmacology expert Tom Viola, RPh.

Thank you for being an Anesthesia & Pain Management Insider! We wish you a strong finish to 2019 and a tremendous holiday season ahead.