Laser Periodontitis Treatment: What you should know
Laser periodontitis treatment is relatively new but it has generated a lot of buzz from the dental community. This procedure employs non-surgical removal of bacteria and infected tissue with the aid of a low energy laser. It is virtually painless and you will lose little or no blood during the process. However, depending on the severity of the gum disease, it may require more than one session to completely heal periodontal diseases. But how is laser surgery better than the conventional scaling and planing or flap surgery? Read on to learn more.
Before we explore the benefits of laser periodontal disease treatment, you might want to know how this procedure works. First of, the dental surgeon will then probe into the oral cavity to check on the depth and severity of the pocket formation in the gumline. The teeth and the gumline will then be cleaned first with the aid of an ultrasonic device before the laser treatment. Once the teeth and the gumline is cleaned, the dental surgeon will employ a low energy laser to burn the infected tissue as well as the bacteria found in the pockets. The laser also coagulates the area, thus there is little or no post operative bleeding which may occur. Once the affected tissues and bacteria are removed, another tool will be used to secure the gum tissue against the root to keep the bacteria out and to reinforce the teeth.
The post operative healing for laser treatments will only take as little as 24 hours, with the dentist advising the patient to be on a soft diet until the next day. As there will be little or no bleeding during the operation, patients who are under prescription blood thinners do not have to stop medication for this operation. Apart from that, the procedure is virtually painless, save for a little discomfort which can be alleviated with mild anaesthetics. Apart from that, there is little or no chances of reinfection compared to the conventional flap surgery as there will be no open wounds.
Laser periodontal disease treatments, however, may cost more than the conventional surgical treatments. But the benefits often outweight the hefty price. And since the healing process will only take a day or two, you no longer have to subject yourself to soft diet for a week, which can be a nuisance for most patients. You can even start working a day after the surgery. But just like with any treatment for periodontal diseases, maintaining oral hygiene as well as regular visits to the dentist can steer you away from reinfection. Knowing that these treatments will often be expensive, taking precautions to avoid reinfection may be able to save you hundreds of dollars.
