What is Laser Gum Surgery?
Laser gum surgery is an innovative dental treatment performed for dental treatment, such as correcting gum disease. It is also often performed to contour the gums to improve a gummy smile. There are no scalpels and no incisions; laser gum surgery eliminates the need for any sutures and reduces bleeding dramatically.
Periodontal Disease is the Primary Cause
Periodontal or gum disease is an escalating infection affecting your supporting soft tissues and bone, which support your teeth. If your dental team identifies it in the earliest stage, known as gingivitis, it can be stopped and reversed with an improvement in your oral care routine. More advanced levels of gum disease will require professional intervention. The disease usually affects adults in their 30s and 40s. The risk factors that cause periodontal disease include:
- Poor at-home daily oral hygiene.
- Using tobacco products.
- A chronic illness, like diabetes.
- Some specific medications.
- Genetic susceptibility.
Scaling and root planing have been the traditional standard treatment for gum disease. This non-surgical approach of deep cleaning removes plaque, tartar, and damaging bacteria from your teeth below the surface of your gumline. It also promotes gum tissue regeneration after the primary source of the infection is removed.
Your dental team may suggest that a surgical approach is the most beneficial approach to treat your periodontal disease. This could be because of the severity of your gum infection. A common surgical treatment, called gum flap surgery, includes surgical cuts in your gum tissue. The tissue is pulled back to allow deep cleaning. The gum tissue is then sutured back into its natural position.
Several other surgical options for gum disease include soft tissue grafts, guided tissue regeneration, bone grafting, and the introduction of tissue-stimulating proteins.
How Laser Gum Surgery Works
Laser gum surgery is often used in addition to other methods. By using laser gum surgery, your dental team can use a specific dental laser to remove diseased gum tissue from around the teeth. They can also remove tartar and plaque accumulated on your teeth around and below your gumline. They can introduce a different tool to smooth out rough spots on the teeth and roots below your gumline. Removing these spots diminishes the risk of your teeth inviting more bacteria and any future infections.
Following your laser gum surgery, your mouth will require just a brief time to both heal and regenerate. Since your gums are now free of infection, they will return to sealing normally around your teeth.
Not all dental teams use laser gum surgery. If they offer you this treatment, that means they have undergone extensive laser training to ensure they use proper techniques and know how to apply the different wavelengths correctly.
Laser Gum Surgery Benefits
There are several benefits to using dental lasers for the removal of diseased gum tissue. The most common benefits of laser gum surgery are as follows:
- The healing and recovery times are considerably shorter.
- You should not need any local anesthetic, which is usually required for other types of dental surgery.
- The dental laser pinpoints the diseased areas precisely, accurately, and successfully.
- There is truly little, if any, bleeding, less discomfort, and swelling because laser gum surgery is much less invasive.
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