Physiologic melanin pigmentation is a common finding in oral cavity. Most commonly the gingiva and buccal mucosa are involved, however it has also been reported occasionally on tongue. For aesthetic reasons, depigmentation of gingiva using scalpel or diode laser is commonly performed. The procedure is simple without any potential complications. However, tongue has different histologic structure, as it is highly vascularized and contains taste buds. Can it be treated similar to the procedure of gingival depigmentation ? Will there be any effect on taste sensation post-operatively?
In out limited experience (10 pts), we have not observed any post-surgical complications in tongue de-pigmentation using Nd:YAG laser so far. Taste alteration are not usual following superficial tongue surgeries, and bleeding is not a concern.
Thanks Dr Luiz for sharing your experience. How about using diode laser for tongue depigmentation ?
I would expect the same response pattern, they main concern should be the surgical technique. Try to avoid long exposure and be gentle, CO2 laser also promotes high temperature and possible thermal damage. Depending on the pigmentation, it can be better to perform more than 1 session.
Anything that is useful may have some effects. However diode lasers are considered to be safe and effective. Please follow the attached link
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4166985/
according to laser tissue interaction , diode laser is good absorption in melanin for that in gingival , lip or tongue we can use defocus mode ( non contact mode ) to remove melanin tissue depigmentation , sure with high parameter than contact mode
for example i use 1.5 watt pulse mode 20 usec on and 20 usec off , this for contact mode
for non contact i use 5 watt pulse mode also
Thank you Dr Alhabil. Are you sure that a diode laser will be able to achieve depigmentation of oral mucosa in non-contact mode, even if it is used with a power of 5W ? May I know if you have any first hand experience of using this protocol for tissue depigmentation? I am just curious because I have tried this protocol with 810 nm diode laser, but there was incomplete removal of melanin.
yes its need more than one visit not same contact mode but its no any pain or aggressive tech.
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