Laser Supported Gum Disease Treatment
As with many of the treatments, gum disease treatment is a partnership between the host of the condition and the practitioner. Our role is to diagnose, inform you about the cause, look after your teeth and gums to minimise further problems, carry out different treatments you might need, we also carry on the partnership with both education on prevention of further disease progression and carry out regular re-assessments. Lasers are great support for gum disease treatment, where we fight against both infection and inflammation. Basically, we have four steps in laser supported gum disease treatment:
- We use our Nd:YAG laser which is the most established laser in dentistry and gum disease to disinfect and remove the disease living in the space between the roots of the teeth and the gums which increases in this condition.
- We use conventional tools, which are very fine hand instruments to fit in the space and ultrasonic vibrating scaler, when necessary, to eliminate grooves and concavities on the root surface to make it less prone to have plaque accumulation.
- Then the Er:YAG laser is used to clear out if any deposit is left behind, making sure all root surface is clean microscopically, which increases the attachment that is sought after to achieve after the treatment. Not only mechanical remnants but also chemical side products of the bacteria, which cause inflammation in the gums, are removed at this step.
- The last step is to “boost” the healing potential of the gums by providing more energy to be used for the healing process.
After these steps which are carried out in one session, we need to wait for the balance to be regained and the gums to reattach or tissues to regenerate. More than one session may be needed if multiple sites need treatment for these steps. Additional sessions are required to carry out more disinfection and stop early re-colonisation of bacteria.
What is your part of the deal?
The one and only thing you need to do is to clean the surfaces of the teeth. Sounds simple right? The catch is that you need to clean all of the surfaces. To be able to do that you will need a normal toothbrush, interdental – in-between teeth – brush and floss. These will be prescribed and demonstrated individually for you, depending on your anatomy, state of the condition and more factors. These are the bare minimum and you can add mouthwashes and water-jets to clean more to prevent decay and gum disease.
Smoking is a risk factor for gum disease, oral cancer and many other diseases. You can prevent adverse consequences from smoking by not starting but if you are already smoking it could be the best present you give yourself if you quit. Let us know if you need assistance for this as research says the more support you have – family, friends and/or professional, the higher the chance of quitting.
It is also well known that smoking decreases the success of gum disease treatment, although laser treatment has a higher level of success. A smoke-free mouth of course has the best chance of good healing.
Early detection and treatment of gum disease can help you preserve your teeth and smile for life.
You can read more about gum disease here.
The information above should not replace dental advice or a comprehensive evaluation and diagnosis by a qualified practitioner.