Laser Gum Treatment

Are you worried about gum disease? Shifting or spreading teeth? Change in your bite? Bleeding gums? Bad taste or bad breath?

Have you been told you need gum surgery? If so, you’re probably understandably a bit apprehensive.  But with the advent of laser gum treatment, now you have an alternative! After years of research, Fort Myers dentist, Dr. Dwyer, has discovered a miracle in the treatment and prevention of gum disease. Even if you don’t have a gum problem, Dr. Dwyer can teach you his simple and amazing at-home techniques to keep your gums healthy for life!

Benefits of laser gum treatment

Important facts about gum disease

Gum disease is often silent, meaning symptoms may not appear until advanced stages of the disease. The disease is diagnosed by x-rays and a complete periodontal exam. A measurement of 3mm or less is considered healthy.

 

Laser: An attractive alternative to traditional periodontal therapy

First Pass: The laser removes the diseased tan tissue that is present on the tooth side of the gum in the space created between the gum and the tooth in Figure B.

Second Pass: After the first pass of the laser, the diseased gum tissue has been eliminated, leaving the gum attached to the cleaned root surface. The disease-causing microbes have also been eliminated. Figure E depicts the healthy gum tissue, which is ready to attach to the clean root surface created by the pezio scalers and hand instruments.

The success of the treatment is dependent on the stability of the teeth. We want the forces of the bite to go down the long axis of the roots of the teeth. To ensure that is the case we need to “adjust the bite.” This is done with the handpiece as displayed in Figure F. We are always going to be checking the bite at one week, three weeks and then every three months.

Laser gum treatment: the alternative to scalpel & suture gum surgery

Below is the sequence of all the steps in the laser assisted new attachment procedure

This illustration shows the steps (key below) which occur in this new laser gum treatment. Notice there is no scalpel, no separation of gum tissue and bone and no sutures as in traditional periodontal therapy. This procedure can create an environment of reduced bacteria.

Treatment Procedure

A. Perio probe indicates excessive pocket depth
B. Laser light kills bacteria and diseased tissue
C. Ultrasonic scaler and special hand instruments are used to remove surface tartar.
D. Laser finishes cleaning and sterilizing pocket which aids in sealing the pocket closed so new germs cannot enter.
E. Reattachment of connective tissue to the clean root surface, with a stable fibrin clot and gingival crest to create a “closed system.”
F. Bite trauma is adjusted.
G. New attachment is regenerated. New bone and ligament is formed and healing occurs.