The carbon dioxide laser in soft tissue preprosthetic surgery.

The surgical carbon dioxide laser has the ability to vaporize soft tissues with little bleeding, pain, swelling, or wound contraction. The laser was evaluated on 27 patients requiring soft tissue preprosthetic surgery, including frenectomies, tuberosity reduction, hyperplasia removal, and sulcus deepening. Surgery was performed on an ambulatory basis with no bleeding or infection. Swelling was minimal and pain, as measured on a linear pain scale, was moderate. One third of the patients required no analgesics. Wound contraction did occur but was less than is historically quoted for scalpel wounds. The carbon dioxide laser would appear to have advantages for soft tissue preprosthetic surgery that warrant further evaluation.