Surgical Use Of Lasers In Dentistry
The human mouth is full of bacteria and sometimes practicing good dental hygiene and making regular trips to the dentist are not enough to prevent gum disease. Smoking carries significant risk factors for developing this disease. Some illnesses like diabetes, cancer, HIV, and the treatments prescribed for them affect gum health. Hormonal changes in girls/women may make the gums more sensitive and prone to infection. Some people are also just more genetically susceptible to the disease than others. It’s not surprising given these factors that many Americans suffer from some form of periodontitis. Thankfully today with the advancements in medical technologies, laser gum surgery is a viable alternative to traditional cut and suture methods.
There are some non surgical therapies available for those in the beginning stages of gum disease. Your dentist may recommend more thorough cleaning and more frequent visits for professional cleaning. Or your dentist may schedule you for a scaling and root planing procedure where plaque, tartar, and bacteria are removed from your teeth and gums. Each patient is different and in more severe cases surgery is needed.
Pockets may form between the teeth and gums that need to be surgically removed in order to rid the mouth of the harmful bacteria that cause gum disease. This can be accomplished by having a dentist or periodontist cut the diseased tissue away then suture the gums back to the correct area. Another way to perform this surgery is by using a laser to remove the infected tissue without harming the healthy tissue. The laser also helps to form a blood clot over the area where the surgery occurred, thus eliminating the need for sutures. A major benefit in opting for the laser surgery is that it can be performed in less office visits than traditional surgery and the recovery period is shrunk down to about 24 hours instead of the usual 2-4 week time frame.
Lasers are also used for cosmetic reasons in dentistry. Some people suffer from gingival hyperplasia or what is referred to as “gummy smiles” where the teeth look significantly shorter than normal due to an overgrowth of gum tissue onto the teeth. This commonly happens after receiving some form of orthodontic treatment. It may resolve itself over time but for those who don’t want to wait there is a simple procedure called a gingivectomy that may be performed. This can be done with a scalpel, dental laser, or electro surgery. As with the periodontal surgery, a local anesthetic can be used without sedation and the recovery time is only a few days instead of weeks when a scalpel is used. Other people have the opposite problem where the teeth appear longer than normal because the gum line is deformed or has shrunk for some reason. This can be caused by having a bad bite or just from getting older. For both of these issues, laser gum surgery is a good option in correcting the cosmetic deformity.
As you can see from the information provided when it comes to dental care and surgery for your teeth and gums there are lots of options. I know for me personally, I would go with the option that involved the least amount of time spent in the dentist chair, the shortest recovery period, and most importantly the least amount of pain. That option would be laser gum surgery.
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