Laser dental treatment enhances your care and supports our biological approach.

Laser Dentistry

We use laser dentistry at Shank Dental Care because it allows us to provide safer, quieter, more comfortable care while supporting your body's natural healing. With laser technology, Dr. Taylor Shank can treat everything from tooth decay and tongue ties to snoring and inflammation.

How Lasers Support Holistic Dentistry

Laser technology fits naturally into Dr. Shank's integrative approach because it:

Minimizes the need for medications by naturally disinfecting as they work, reducing bacteria without antibiotics or harsh chemical rinses
Creates cleaner surgical sites by sealing blood vessels and destroying bacteria during the procedure, which supports your body's natural healing process
Allows us to treat problems earlier and with less discomfort because lasers can detect and remove decay in its earliest stages, often before you'd need numbing

Why Our Patients Appreciate Laser Dentistry

Laser dentistry offers several advantages that improve both the treatment experience and your outcomes:

Quiet, Comfortable Treatment

Laser cavity removal eliminates the noise and vibration of traditional drills and often doesn't require anesthesia, especially for small cavities or early decay.

Faster Healing with Less Swelling

Lasers are extremely precise and cause less trauma to surrounding tissue, which typically means less bleeding, reduced swelling, and a smoother recovery process.

Effective for Sensitive Patients

Many patients, including children, anxious adults, or those with sensory sensitivities, find laser treatment much easier to tolerate than traditional dental methods.

Testimonial

Dr. Taylor Shank is The Best Ever.

Awesome dentist!!!! Dr. Taylor Shank is the best ever!!! His entire staff is wonderful. He takes time with his patients and throughout the procedure he makes sure you doing ok. He explains everything fully before the procedure to make sure you are comfortable of what he will be doing. Dr. Taylor Shank has the best bedside manners and truly care about his patients!!!!!

- Rosalind

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How We Use Lasers in Dental Care

Dr. Shank uses the Fotona Lightwalker laser system for a wide range of dental treatments:

Dental Applications:

Drill-Free, Needle-Free Cavity Removal — Lasers remove decay gently and precisely, without the vibration, heat, or sound of a traditional dental drill, and often without the need for numbing. Reducing these triggers often results in less anxiety for our patients.
Laser Disinfection — Used to disinfect cavities, root canals, and periodontal pockets, reducing bacteria and improving treatment outcomes.
Frenectomy (Tongue-Tie or Lip-Tie Release) — When tongue or lip movement is restricted, a soft-tissue laser allows for a quick procedure with minimal discomfort, minimal bleeding, and faster healing, often without stitches.
Treatment of Canker Sores and Cold Sores — Laser ablation of aphthous ulcers and fever blisters reduces pain and accelerates healing.
NightLase® Snoring Treatment — This gentle laser procedure tightens airway tissues over several sessions to reduce snoring and improve nighttime breathing, without surgery or dental appliances.
Photobiomodulation / Low-Level Laser Therapy — This therapeutic laser stimulates healing at the cellular level. We often use it after extractions, implant surgery, or to relieve jaw pain and reduce inflammation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you use lasers for root canal treatment?

Yes, Dr. Shank uses laser technology to enhance root canal treatment outcomes. During a root canal procedure, the laser disinfects the interior of the tooth's root canal system, areas that can be difficult to reach with traditional cleaning methods alone.

Why Root Canals Need Extra Disinfection

Root canals become infected when bacteria invade the tooth's pulp chamber and spread through the tiny canals inside the root. While traditional endodontic files clean and shape these canals, bacteria can hide in microscopic crevices and side branches that instruments can't always reach completely.

How Laser Disinfection Works

Laser disinfection addresses this challenge by delivering concentrated light energy into the canal system, effectively killing bacteria, viruses, and fungi throughout the treated area. This additional sterilization step reduces the risk of persistent infection and can improve the long-term success rate of root canal therapy.

An Integrative Approach

Dr. Shank combines laser disinfection with traditional endodontic techniques and often with ozone therapy as well, creating a comprehensive approach that maximizes bacterial elimination while supporting your body's natural healing. This process adds only a few minutes to the procedure and causes no additional discomfort.

This integrative method aligns with our philosophy of using the most effective tools available to achieve the best possible outcomes while minimizing the need for retreatment or additional procedures.

If you need root canal treatment or have questions about our integrative endodontic approach, call our Lafayette, LA, dental office at (337) 235-8902 to schedule a consultation.

Our Team

Meet More of Our Team

Dr. Taylor Shank

Dr. Taylor Shank was born and raised in Lafayette, and he considers himself blessed to be able to serve the community he knows and loves. Dr. Shank is a graduate of St. Thomas More High School, UL Lafayette, and the LSU School of Dentistry.

Dr. Shank started his practice because he was unhappy with the profit-driven high-volume model that has become so common in the medical and dental fields. Dr. Shank saw the need to provide dental services for those patients looking for more holistic and minimally invasive treatment options. He ...

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Aesthetic Applications:

SmoothLase Wrinkle Reduction — Non-invasive laser treatment that stimulates collagen production to reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
LipLase Lip Enhancement — Filler-free lip plumping using laser technology to naturally enhance lip volume.

Because laser treatment is so targeted, it preserves more healthy tooth structure, reduces the risk of infection, and aligns with Dr. Shank's goal of minimizing stress on your body during dental care.

Effective Dentistry That Respects Your Body

Whether you're looking for a quieter alternative to the drill, a more comfortable experience for your child, or treatment that supports faster recovery, laser dentistry may be part of your care at Shank Dental Care. We'll explain what to expect and why it's recommended, always with your comfort and long-term health as the priority.

If you'd like to learn more about how laser dentistry in Lafayette, LA, can benefit you, please call Shank Dental Care at (337) 235-8902 to schedule an appointment. We serve patients throughout Acadiana and across Louisiana, including those traveling from New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, and beyond.

Laser Dentistry Technology

Laser Dentistry

Our Fotona® Lightwalker laser system enables drill-free cavity removal, gentle soft tissue procedures, and therapeutic treatments that promote healing. Lasers reduce the need for anesthesia, minimize bleeding and discomfort, and create cleaner treatment sites with less trauma to surrounding tissue, supporting faster recovery and better outcomes while reducing anxiety for sensitive patients.

Laser Cavity Detection

Advanced laser technology detects tooth decay in its earliest stages, often before it's visible on x-rays or to the naked eye. Early detection means we can treat cavities when they're small, preserving more healthy tooth structure and often avoiding the need for anesthesia, supporting our conservative, minimally invasive approach.

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