Laser Gum Therapy
LASER ASSISTED GUM DISEASE THERAPY:
The most important aspect of treating periodontal disease (gum disease) is a detailed examination of the health of the gums around each individual tooth. You may have a generalized condition that affects most of the teeth, or we may find only isolated areas of gum disease around a few teeth. If you have serious gum disease you may need an immediate referral to a gum specialist, a periodontist. If you have minor to moderate problems, we will recommend a number of different measures to get you back in good health including the laser which will help us to decontaminate pockets of gum disease around your teeth.
In fact, in many adults with otherwise healthy mouths, it is quite common for us to find one or two teeth with an initial active state of gum deterioration. Many dentists who use the laser for this level of treatment find that it is a great tool, both comfortable and effective in reducing the pockets with low grade infection. We always use the laser as an adjunct to a very specialized type of deep cleaning. It is important to remember that the laser is only one important tool in helping you maintain healthy gums when there are initial to moderate problems.
After a dentist has done a detailed assessment of your gum health, if he or she finds generalized advanced gum disease, you may be referred immediately to a gum specialist who can handle this extensive problem with comprehensive treatment methods that may include gum surgery. (Reviews of scientific literature do not suggest that the laser should take the place of traditional gum surgery when that is needed
If you have only a few areas of mild to moderate concern, we use conventional deep cleaning methods along with a new technology for bacterial reduction involving a “Diode Laser”. In a nutshell, this technology uses a type of light energy that targets bacteria, and the proteins that enable tarter to bond to the tooth deep below the gums. Laser energy has an affinity for pigmentation and the microbes that cause gum disease happen to be pigmented. This allows the laser to seek them out. As the bacteria nuclei absorb this particular wavelength of light, they are destroyed. Your body’s own healthy cells do not absorb this type of energy so there is very little collateral damage to healthy tissue. Healing is quicker and more comfortable. This is one of the greatest advantages to laser assisted gum therapy. Once the diseased tissue and tarter is removed, laser energy appears to have the added beneficial effect of enhansing bone and soft tissue attachment.