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How Lasers Can Benefit Your Gums

In recent decades, lasers have made a big entrance into all areas of medical care, including into periodontics. And while more traditional methods of periodontal treatment still have their place, laser periodontal treatment has big advantages over other options in many dental situations.
So long as your periodontist is well trained and experienced in laser gum surgery and has the most up to date tools and equipment at his disposal, laser periodontal treatment is typically your best option for advanced cases of periodontitis. Root planing and scaling might be a better option for some less severe cases.

How Laser Periodontal Treatment Works
Unfortunately, most American adults will have some form of gum disease at some point in their life, with risk levels rising significantly when you turn 40 and again when you turn 65.

The best way to win against gum disease is to never get it to begin with. Reducing risk levels through good oral hygiene, not smoking, not drinking excessively, and consistently following a healthy diet is wise indeed. But, even when you do all of that, it’s still possible to get gum disease. If you do, laser periodontal surgery can reverse it.

Special pulsating, hand-held lasers in the hands of a trained periodontist can cut away or dissolve infected gum tissue. The laser can be adjusted to perform a number of specific types of actions and for depth and intensity of impact. You can often avoid cutting your gums with a scalpel entirely by opting for laser surgery.

The laser not only cuts but also kills germs as it goes. And it seals, or “cauterizes,” your gums as well to prevent bleeding. The single laser tool can do most of the work all by itself, it seems, due to its precision, power, and versatility.

Specific Advantages Offered By Laser Gum Surgery
Laser gum surgery offers numerous advantages over other methods that make it a first choice for patients and dentists alike. Here are its main benefits:

  • More thorough elimination of bacteria that are colonizing and infecting your periodontal tissue, including in “deep pockets.”
  • Less bleeding and swelling of the gums post-op.
  • Less pain during treatment. In fact, most people don’t even need an anesthetic.
  • The surgery takes less time to complete and can be done in a single sitting.
  • Recovery is much quicker. Many people are able to go back to work after only 24 hours, and while total recovery takes longer, it’s faster than with other gum treatment methods.
  • Less healthy gum tissue is lost during the procedure because the laser can cut more precisely than can a scalpel.
  • Growth of new gum tissue is actually stimulated by the laser.
  • The cost is often little, if any, more than traditional surgeries when all expenses are taken into account. And most dental insurance will cover laser periodontal surgery.

No periodontal treatment method is 100% guaranteed, but fewer people have to have repeat procedures done when they get laser treatment as compared to scaling and planing. The reason is that lasers destroy bacteria more completely, making for lower reinfection rates – given good oral hygiene and home care post-op.

If you have gum disease and are looking for answers on how to find the best treatment, contact Dr. Raymond A. Kenzik in and around Ormond Beach, Florida, for a free consultation. Dr. Kenzik can also give you a free quote!

Located in Beautiful Ormond Beach

Ormond Beach Periodontics and Implant Dentistry is conveniently located off of Nova Road in Ormond Beach, Florida. We help seniors, adults, and teenagers smile with confidence.