Laser Periodontal Therapy

"We all think that cholesterol is important to heart
disease. The health of your gums is a more important
predictor of whether you will have a heart attack or not."
-Mehmet C. Oz, Director, Cardiovascular Institute,
Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New
York. Good Morning America 12-15-2008

"In a study of more than 51,000 male doctors, the men
with a history of gum disease were at a 64% higher risk
for pancreatic cancer, compared with those with healthy
mouths." - The Wall Street Journal, January 23, 2007

Healthy Gums Healthy Body

Studies in recent years have been finding more links between gum disease and the overall health of our bodies. If you think about it, the mouth is a portal to the rest of our bodies. With gum disease, there is increased amount of bacteria in our mouths and the gums are chronically inflamed. This will allow the bacteria to enter our blood stream which can have deleterious affects on the rest of our body. The Medical Community in recent years have come to realize the importance in treating periodontal ( gum ) disease, just ask your Physician or Cardiologist. Studies have shown that gum disease have been linked to:

• Heart Disease
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• Pregnancy Problems
• Increase risk of Pancreatic Cancer (64% increase)

It is important to your overall health to have gum disease addressed.

The X-rays to the left are from one of my first laser gum therapy patients. On the left, the x-ray shows 90% bone loss around the center teeth, the teeth were mobile, the pockets depths were 11mm deep (normal is 3mm). One year after Laser gum therapy, the x-ray on the right show actual NEW bone formation. The teeth were no longer
mobile, and the pocket depths were 4 mm deep. My original plan for these teeth were to extract them. Boy, am I glad I did laser gum therapy instead.

What is Gum Disease?

Gum, or Periodontal, disease has many contributing factors associated with it and the severity of the disease in a given person. Factors such as genetic makeup ( some people are more likely to develop gum disease), Oral Hygiene home care (brushing and flossing), nutrition, stress, some medications, diabetes are some of the many contributing agents of gum disease. Over time the bacteria that cause gum disease will cause loss of attachment of the gums from the tooth. This deepens the space between the gum and tooth and produces what is called a "periodontal pocket". After a pocket develops, unless treated, it will progressively deepen and will affect the bone support of the teeth. Ultimately, the teeth will loosen,
and may need to be extracted.

Laser Gum Therapy

Is laser gum therapy right for you? If you've ever been told you have gum disease or need gum surgery you can be take advantage of the tremendous benefits that laser gum therapy offers.

A Therapy that brings your entire mouth back to health

What laser gum therapy does is eliminate that bacteria residing in the "periodontal pockets" as well as removing the scar tissue that forms inside the pockets. What this does is allow the collagen fibers of the gums to re-attach to the tooth. I have routinely seen these periodontal pocket depths reduced by half or more. That means that the gum has re-attached
and not receded. I see the inflammation is eliminated and patients are amazed that there is no more bleeding when flossing or brushing. Take a look at diagram to the left to review the laser gum therapy protocol.

Advantages to Laser Gum Therapy

gum therapy patients. On the left, the x-ray shows 90% bone loss around the center teeth, the teeth were mobile, the pockets depths were 11mm deep (normal is 3mm). One year after Laser gum therapy, the x-ray on the right show actual NEW bone formation. The teeth were no longer mobile, and the pocket depths were 4 mm deep. My original plan for these teeth were to extract them. Boy, am I glad I did laser gum therapy instead.The advantages of laser gum therapy are quite extensive.

• 24 hour recovery time with minor discomfort
• greater predictability of reattachment of the gum tissue and bone regeneration
• 98% of laser therapy patients stable after 5 years
• takes less time than traditional gum surgery
• reduced chance of infection
• less tooth sensitivity
• no scalpels, no sutures
• little to no gum recession
• less invasive

Alternative Treatments

Basically there are two alternative treatments to laser gum therapy. The first is Scaling and Root Planing, or "deep cleaning". This treatment removes the tartar or calculus from under the gumline in the hopes of reducing the inflammation. Scaling and Root Planing will NOT promote reattachment of the gums and will NOT significantly reduce pocket depths. Basically, with Scaling and Root Planing the best case scenario is to keep the gum disease from getting worse.

The second alternative to laser gum therapy is Osseous Surgery, or "Flap" Surgery. Before, this was the only way of reducing pockets, but, it comes at an expense. The way Flap surgery works is the gums are pulled away from the bone (called a Flap), exposing the bone and the roots of the teeth. The teeth are then cleaned, the bone is shaped. Then the gums are stitched back and then cut to make a normal depth pocket. For example, if you had a 6mm pocket, 3mmof gum tissue would be removed (never to grow back again) to make a normal 3mm pocket. The problem with this is if you take away 3mm of gum away it will expose the roots of the teeth! This is what causes cold sensitivity and gives the appearance of longer teeth. In addition, because of the invasiveness of the surgery, it is much more painful after and takes a lot more time to recover from. Before I was a Laser dentist, I would refer my periodontal patients for this procedure. I can't count how many would do the first half of the procedure but refused to go back for the other half because of the discomfort and healing time. This is how I came to be a laser dentist. In my mind, it was a no brainer to offer, in my mind, a superioralternative to Flap surgery.

Call us for a complimentary consultation to see if is right for you! 310-641-2220