Red Light Therapy for Teeth Soothes Sensitivity

Without much thought, I chomped on a gooey, sticky piece of candy, and the crown protecting my lower jaw popped off.

“Ouch!” doesn’t begin to describe what I said next. Tooth sensitivity is torture.

Dentists have several tools to help quell tooth sensitivity, including fluoride and high-intensity laser light. However, studies show that compared to fluoride treatment, low-energy red light is better at reducing and eliminating tooth sensitivity pain.

Takeaways:

• Red light therapy reduces tooth sensitivity
• Red light is more effective than infrared light
• Full-mouth red light therapy devices are now available for at-home use
• Mouth devices help with receding gums and bad breath.

Red Light Therapy for Teeth

Tooth sensitivity (dentinal hypersensitivity to dentists) commonly affects one-third of all adults. The problem causes a sudden, sharp pain when your teeth come into contact with certain stimuli, such as hot or cold foods, drinks, and sweet or acidic substances. Although the pain typically goes away quickly, it can still be unpleasant and disruptive to your daily life. There’s a reason that spy movies use dental torture to scare us.

Causes of Tooth Sensitivity

The underlying cause of dentinal hypersensitivity is the wearing down of the protective layer of your teeth, which exposes the sensitive part of your teeth called dentin. According to a 2019 meta-analysis, about one-third of all adults suffer tooth sensitivity, making it a significant oral health concern.

Various causes of sensitivity exist, including friction that causes abrasion, acid that causes corrosion, and habits or trauma that cause tension. These factors can all contribute to the wearing down of the protective layer of your teeth, leading to the exposure of sensitive dentin.

Tooth Sensitivity Treatments

Fortunately, dentists have several treatment options for managing dentinal hypersensitivity. These include desensitizing agents like resin, fluoride, laser therapy, and iontophoresis (using an electrical current). I

n several studies, the most effective treatment was red light therapy. It was superior to coatings and high-energy lasers and at eliminating dental sensitivity. Red light therapy for tooth sensitivity can be provided at the dental office or home.

Red Light Therapy vs. Lasers for Tooth Sensitivity Study

A 2022 study published in the Swiss journal Life examined red light and laser therapy’s efficacy on tooth sensitivity.

This study analyzed data from 920 teeth treated with light to reduce dentinal hypersensitivity. Red light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation, is the low-energy delivery of light, while laser therapy is the high-energy delivery of light. Of those teeth:

1. 387 were treated with low-energy red light therapy using 660 nm red light
2. 327 were treated with a high-energy laser using 1064 nm infrared light and graphite paste
3. 206 were treated with a high-energy laser using 1340 nm infrared light

To standardize patients‘ dental sensitivity at various milestones, the researchers used the visual analog scale (VAS), which assessed sensitivity at five different stages:

1. T0 (before treatment)
2. T1 (immediately after treatment)
3. T2 (one week after treatment)
4. T3 (four weeks after treatment)
5. T4 (six months after treatment)
6. T5 (one year after treatment)

The VAS scores for red light therapy were always better than those for laser therapy. At one year, the treatment had eliminated tooth sensitivity in the red light therapy group. This group had no sensitivity in their affected teeth. The infrared laser groups significantly reduced their sensitivity, but it was not 100%. The low-energy delivery of red light was superior to the high-energy delivery of infrared light.

Red Light Therapy with Fluoride for Tooth Sensitivity Study

A 2019 study published in PLOS ONE compared fluoride to photobiomodulation to treat tooth sensitivity. These researchers also used the visual analog scale (VAS) to standardize sensitivity ratings. The patients were separated into these treatment groups:

1. fluoride
2. red light therapy
3. fluoride and red light therapy combined
4. placebo

The fluoride, red light therapy, and combined treatment groups significantly reduced tooth sensitivity. The best results were in the red light therapy combined with the fluoride treatment group. These results support the theory that red light therapy complements and augments traditional treatments.

Red Light Therapy to Reduce Bleaching Sensitivity

If you’ve ever bleached your teeth and felt sensitivity after, you’re not alone. Bleaching teeth promotes tooth sensitivity and pain. Dentists have tested various remedies to reduce bleaching sensitivity, including red light therapy.

In a 2016 randomized clinical trial study published in Lasers in Medical Science, sixty-six patients underwent in-office bleaching with 40% hydrogen peroxide. After the procedure, they were randomly divided into three groups.

1. low-energy red light therapy using 660 nm red light
2. low-energy red light therapy using 810 nm infrared light
3. placebo

Using the visual analog scale (VAS) to standardize pain levels, researchers tested tooth sensitivity an hour after bleaching, the next day, the day after, and 30 days after. The groups had the same levels of sensitivity one hour after bleaching. However, 24 hours after bleaching, the red light group had the most reduction in tooth sensitivity pain. The placebo and infrared groups were left in the dust.

However, the infrared group caught up at the 48-hour test. The VAS for red and infrared light were significant, while the placebo group still had tooth sensitivity from the bleaching procedure. Interestingly, the groups had no significant difference in tooth whitening efficacy.

Dental Red Light Therapy at Home

Dental red light therapy kits are now available for home use using the same principles as those in the scientific studies. Oral care devices use a combination of red, infrared, and blue light to achieve different goals.

The red light reduces and eliminates tooth sensitivity and dental pain. Although this article didn’t discuss receding gums in-depth, red and infrared devices are also effective at helping with that problem. The infrared light complements the red light for pain as well. The blue light whitens teeth and sanitizes the mouth.

The time-per-use is usually 5 minutes, once a day. I’m a huge fan of NovaaLab products. They sell a very reasonably-priced Oral Care device on their site. I have not reviewed it yet, but you can see my NovaaLab Light Pad guide.

Conclusion

Studies show that red light therapy is more effective than other treatments in reducing tooth sensitivity. Red light is the most effective, beating out infrared and laser high-power light delivery in pain relief studies. You can do dental red light therapy at the dentist or at home. Home-use oral care devices are well-supported in science. They reduce pain and help with receding gums, whitening teeth, and bad breath.

References

Brannstrom M. The hydrodynamic theory of dentinal pain: sensation in preparations, caries, and the dentinal crack syndrome. J Endod. 1986 Oct;12(10):453-7. doi: 10.1016/S0099-2399(86)80198-4. PMID: 3465849.

West NX, Lussi A, Seong J, Hellwig E. Dentin hypersensitivity: pain mechanisms and aetiology of exposed cervical dentin. Clin Oral Investig. 2013 Mar;17 Suppl 1:S9-19. doi: 10.1007/s00784-012-0887-x. Epub 2012 Dec 9. PMID: 23224116.

Favaro Zeola L, Soares PV, Cunha-Cruz J. Prevalence of dentin hypersensitivity: Systematic review and meta-analysis. J Dent. 2019 Feb;81:1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jdent.2018.12.015. Epub 2019 Jan 11. PMID: 30639724.

Nammour S, El Mobadder M, Namour M, Brugnera Junior A, Zanin F, Brugnera AP, Geerts S, Namour A. Twelve-Month Follow-Up of Different Dentinal Hypersensitivity Treatments by Photobiomodulation Therapy, Nd:YAG and Nd:YAP Lasers. Life (Basel). 2022 Nov 30;12(12):1996. doi: 10.3390/life12121996. PMID: 36556361; PMCID: PMC9784673.

da Rosa WL, Lund RG, Piva E, da Silva AF. The effectiveness of current dentin desensitizing agents used to treat dental hypersensitivity: a systematic review. Quintessence Int. 2013 Jul;44(7):535-46. doi: 10.3290/j.qi.a29610. PMID: 23616976.

Guanipa Ortiz MI, Alencar CM, Freitas De Paula BL, Alves EB, Nogueira Araújo JL, Silva CM. Effect of the casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate fluoride (CPP-ACPF) and photobiomodulation (PBM) on dental hypersensitivity: A randomized controlled clinical trial. PLoS One. 2019 Dec 2;14(12):e0225501. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225501. PMID: 31790452; PMCID: PMC6886796.

Moosavi H, Arjmand N, Ahrari F, Zakeri M, Maleknejad F. Effect of low-level laser therapy on tooth sensitivity induced by in-office bleaching. Lasers Med Sci. 2016 May;31(4):713-9. doi: 10.1007/s10103-016-1913-z. Epub 2016 Mar 10. PMID: 26964798.

Praveen R, Thakur S, Kirthiga M, Narmatha M. Comparative evaluation of a low-level laser and topical desensitizing agent for treating dentinal hypersensitivity: A randomized controlled trial. J Conserv Dent. 2018 Sep-Oct;21(5):495-499. doi: 10.4103/JCD.JCD_197_18. PMID: 30294109; PMCID: PMC6161530.

References

https://orcharddds.com/blog/dental-technology/laser-dentistry/photobiomodulation-2/
https://www.biolase.com/blog/low-level-light-therapy-complete-case-management/
https://www.drscianni.com/services/laser-dentistry/laser-root-desensitization
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/5/736
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41547-022-00152-3