Understanding Laser Gum Therapy and Its Benefits
At Cardinal Dental, we provide our patients with several treatment options for periodontal disease (gum disease), a bacterial infection of the gums. If you have received a periodontal disease diagnosis, it is essential that you begin treatment right away because gum disease not only causes several oral health symptoms and problems but can also have a detrimental effect on the health of your body as a whole.
Bacteria from periodontal disease can enter the bloodstream and travel throughout the body, increasing generalized inflammation. It has also been associated with heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, certain cancers, dementia, reproductive problems, and more systemic health issues. Additionally, with elevated levels of harmful oral bacteria, the chances of this bacteria entering your respiratory system through your airways increase, too. As a result, periodontal disease also puts you at risk of lung infections and other respiratory problems.
Treatment for Periodontal Disease With Laser Therapy
There are several approaches to addressing periodontal disease. The most common is scaling and root planing which involves scaling the surfaces of teeth above and below the gum line to remove tartar buildup in addition to planning which smooths the surfaces of the roots of the patient’s teeth, discouraging future bacterial growth.
In certain cases, where gum flap surgery would otherwise be necessary to adequately address periodontal disease, our dentist, Dr. Paul Michels, might recommend laser gum therapy, which replaces much more invasive surgical scalpels with laser technology.
The Benefits of Laser Therapy for Periodontal Disease Treatment
Laser therapy offers many advantages over traditional gum flap surgery that uses scalpels and sutures. These benefits include:
- Faster healing and recovery
- General anesthesia is not needed.
- Lasers kill the bacteria that are present, reducing the risk of developing an infection while healing.
- Lasers offer much more accurate and precise targeting of the treatment area, resulting in less overall tissue damage, less swelling, and less pain.
- Lasers instantly cauterize tissue, resulting in bleeding.
Following a laser gum therapy session, patients can typically resume all normal activities within 24 hours, depending on the amount of diseased tissue that needed to be removed. Following surgery, patients’ gums heal up nicely, returning to their natural position, hugging the surface of the teeth.
Schedule a Consultation With Our La Mesa Dentist
If you’re interested in learning more about laser gum therapy or your periodontal disease diagnosis, we welcome you to schedule an appointment at Cardinal Dental today.
