Periodontal disease affects nearly half of all people in the U.S. While the severity can vary from mild to serious infections, the treatment goals are usually the same: clean out the damaged tissue, seal up any gingival pockets, and prevent further infection. Laser periodontal therapy is a minimally-invasive way to meet those treatment goals and return you to a healthier smile.
What is laser periodontal therapy?
Laser periodontal therapy is a treatment for moderate to severe periodontal disease. Periodontal disease occurs when your gums begin to pull away from the teeth. This could be caused by poor oral hygiene that results in gum inflammation and receding. Over time, plaque builds up and begins to harden into tartar. As gums recede and pull away from teeth, gingival pockets form. These pockets trap food particles and invite bacteria in.
Once bacteria enters the gingival pockets, infection can begin to spread.
In the later stages of periodontal disease, your immune system gets confused. It begins to fight not only the foreign bacteria trapped under the gumline but also the alveolar bone. The alveolar bone supports the teeth. Your immune system may begin to eat away at this bone, loosening teeth.
Laser periodontal therapy picks up where traditional periodontal treatments leave off. Traditionally, the first treatment for periodontal disease is scaling and root planing. Using a handheld or ultrasonic scaler, your dentist removes the hardened tartar and cleans up the gingival pockets. They then smooth the tooth’s roots so that the gum can seal itself back to the tooth.
In advanced periodontal disease, this deep cleaning may not be enough. Laser periodontal therapy targets excessive loads of bacteria. Laser on periodontal tissues focuses only on the bad bacteria and works to preserve gum tissue. The laser acts like a flashlight shining through a piece of paper. It focuses on the bad bacteria only, even in a widespread area.
What are the benefits of laser periodontal therapy?
There are small pilot studies that show that laser periodontal therapy kills 99.9% of all bacteria present in infected gum tissue, but this is not the only benefit. While the American Dental Academy is cautious about recommending laser assisted periodontal therapy for all dental use, it released small research studies that show the benefit in sealing gingival pockets and decreasing probing depths.
Probing depths refer to the depth of the gingival pocket. The deeper they are, the more advanced the periodontal disease is. Laser periodontal therapy provides a better improvement of probing depths (over just scaling and root planing).
There is also research that shows that laser assisted periodontal therapy stimulates the production of stem cells that help regenerate gum tissue. The Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure (LANAP) has also been successfully used to regenerate cementum, the connective tissue that attaches a tooth’s roots to the jawbone.
One of the other issues with advanced periodontal disease is in the loss of bone. Laser periodontal therapy may be able to help rebuild bone.
Uses for laser dental therapy
In addition to periodontal disease, other uses of periodontal laser therapy include:
- Laser wound healing: Small studies have shown mixed (but promising) results
- Laser root planing: Certain types of lasers have produced root planing that results in attachments that are superior to those produced by handheld planing
- Cavity diagnosis: Some types of lasers have been approved for diagnosing cavity in the very early stages
- Endodontics: Treatment of issues in dental pulp has also been successful with lasers
- Therapeutic removal of cavities, enamel, and dentin
Lasers are also approved in the U.S. for pulpotomy, blood flow measurements, and apicoectomy (the removal of the very tip of a tooth’s roots).
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers any other uses of lasers as “off-label.” Because of this designation, it’s best to only consider laser periodontal therapy within the defined acceptable uses above or as a last measure if other treatments have failed.
What is recovery like?
With periodontal laser surgery, patients typically experience:
- Reduced pain
- Less blood loss
- Less downtime
Because lasers can precisely target the infected areas, the procedure affects less surface area of the mouth. Recovery time may be much shorter than with traditional periodontal surgery.
Are there any risks with laser dental work?
As with all surgeries, there are some risks with periodontal laser surgery. If your dentist is not skilled or uses the incorrect wavelength of laser, there is a risk of damage to healthy periodontal tissue.
The risk of infection is present with all surgical interventions, but because there are not major incisions, this risk is low with periodontal laser therapy.
What should I expect during periodontal laser therapy?
Laser periodontal therapy is a minimally-invasive, low-risk procedure that most patients tolerate well with little interruption to their daily life. To prepare for this procedure, let your dentists know what medications you are taking. They may have you stop taking anti-coagulant medications or aspirin, but each patient’s situation is different.
As with other treatments of periodontal disease, there are some patients who may need to take a pre-operative antibiotic. Patients with heart disease, weakened immune systems, or other recent infections may need to take pre-op antibiotics.
On the day of your procedure, you can eat a light meal, as general anesthesia is not necessary. If you have been prescribed an anti-anxiety medication for the procedure, it’s best to have someone to drive you home after the procedure.
A numbing gel may be applied to the area receiving laser periodontal therapy. Your dentist will use the laser to remove infected tissue. This may take more than one visit.
Laser periodontal therapy aftercare
Most patients can expect relatively quick recovery times. You may experience minor soreness and swelling after the procedure. Use ibuprofen and a cold compress if it is uncomfortable. Eat a diet of soft food for at least three days after surgery. Avoid chewing in the area of surgery.
For LANAP laser therapy, many dentists advise not brushing or flossing for ten days following the procedure. Instead, patients use a special rinse to keep teeth clean without dislodging any blood clots that are necessary for healing.
Your dentist will set a specific follow-up visit schedule, with check-ups at two weeks, four weeks, three months, and six months. As always, follow any and all guidance your dentist gives you.
AZ Dentist is a Phoenix area family dentist with experience in laser periodontal therapy. Still have questions? Get in touch today for more information!