What is Laser Gum Therapy?
Lasers in dentistry and all of healthcare are coming to the forefront with extremely promising results bringing healthcare to a place that previously was not possible. Lasers in dentistry are more conservative, less painful, help with healing and offer many more benefits. The best dentists are able to use laser to make their dental fillings and dental crowns more strong and last long, and are able to use this modern technology to get their patients a more painless dental experience.
There are many different types of lasers used in dentistry. There are lasers that can be used to help your gums, bone, and tissues heal from dental extractions and dental surgeries. These lasers use photobiomodulation to stimulate natural healing of the body. The laser has a particular wavelength that targets the mitochondria within the cell and stimulates healing. This laser can also be used on the muscles of your head and neck to relax the muscles for 24-48 hours to help with TMJ disease and tension headaches.
Another modern laser is used for what is called laser bacterial reduction, where the wavelength targets only dead tissue and bacteria so your dentist is able to clean and disinfect your gums painlessly without hurting any of your healthy tissue. This laser can be painlessly used on the gum tissue and will kill the bacteria and leave the gums with a reduced number of bacteria for 2 months. For our patients with gum disease, gingivitis, and periodontitis, we often disinfect their gums at every cleaning to help reduce the amount of inflammation. Find the best dentist near you who offers this kind of prevention if you have gum disease or periodontal disease.
The last laser that has played a large role in dentistry is used to cut teeth and bone. When used correctly, these lasers can remove a filling without the need for a needle, anesthesia, or a drill. Unfortunately, the indication for this use is limited and only very small cavities can be treated this way. However, being able to treat small cavities painlessly, without a needle, is a nice benefit for patients. These lasers are great for kids who don’t want needles, have small dental cavities, and don’t have the patience for long dental appointments. This laser is also used for periodontal surgery and gum surgery and because it is less invasive allows for much better healing and much less painful recovery from the surgery. This same laser can also be used to painlessly tighten the soft palate which can help with snoring and sleep apnea.
In general, because lasers are only one wavelength of light, a laser can be designed to only target one specific thing. This allows us to target only cavities, only infected tissue and only bacteria to make dentistry much more conservative.
