5 Ways Laser Dentistry Makes Dental Treatment More Effective and Comfortable

Periodontal disease, or gum disease, happens when the tissues that support your teeth become inflamed or infected. Unfortunately, almost half of Americans have some form of gum disease, and it often leads to permanent tooth loss. 

In its earliest stages, gum disease is called gingivitis. Gingivitis causes puffy, inflamed gums that can bleed when brushing your teeth. Mild gum disease is completely reversible with prompt treatment.

However, if gum disease advances to the next stage called periodontitis, the inflammation and infection move from your gums into the jawbone. As periodontitis progresses, your gums can begin to pull away from your teeth, which can eventually lead to loss of jawbone and even the teeth themselves. 

Since severe gum disease can cause such extensive damage, it’s not reversible. Typically, periodontitis is addressed through surgical removal of plaque and tartar, and when repairing lost tissues with gum grafts. 

However, at Beaches Dentistry in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, our team, led by Nodesh Shyamsunder, BDS, and Jasleen Raina, DDS, offers laser dentistry services to repair the damage of gum disease in a way that’s both effective and comfortable for you. 

In this month’s blog, we discuss what you need to know about this innovative treatment for gum disease. 

Understanding laser dentistry 

Traditionally, various procedures treat periodontitis. The first procedure is scaling and planing. During this treatment, your teeth are thoroughly cleaned (scaling), and then each tooth surface is smoothed down to prevent bacteria from reattaching (planing). 

The procedure involves cleaning out pockets that have formed due to gum separation and stitching them back together. Finally, any severe loss of bone and gum tissues gets addressed through grafts. 

Our team at Beaches Dentistry takes a different approach to the gum disease repair process utilizing laser dentistry. 

We utilize the Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure, or LANAP®, protocol and the LANAP PerioLase® technology to reattach separated gum tissue and establish an environment to regenerate bone and gum tissue. This process ensures remaining healthy tissues stay intact and eliminates the need for bone and gum grafts. 

What to expect during LANAP

LANAP is a good fit for anyone who has suffered the effects of periodontitis and wants an alternative to the extensive process of traditional periodontitis treatments. When you visit our team for laser dentistry, we begin by thoroughly cleaning your teeth to remove plaque and tartar buildup. 

During the laser portion of treatment, our team uses computer-driven technology for increased precision. The computer targets the infected pockets of tissue to remove the bacteria and damaged tissue while leaving the healthy tissue around it intact. Our team then cleans out the remaining debris and bacteria before administering the laser again to sterilize the area.

The lasers not only remove harmful bacteria but also create blood clots, effectively stimulating the growth of new tissues. 

How LANAP transforms treatment for gum disease

When you’ve suffered the effects of severe periodontitis, undergoing extensive treatments to repair the damage can seem scary and painful. However, LANAP offers numerous benefits that make it different from traditional treatment. 

LANAP is a welcome alternative to other treatment options because it:

1. Doesn’t cause discomfort during the procedure
2. Requires less downtime after the procedure 
3. Has a lower risk of surgical side effects
4. Guarantees the regrowth of gum tissue
5. Effectively eliminates bacteria from infection

If you’ve suffered from severe gum disease, LANAP can provide a comfortable and effective method for repairing the damage and infection. To learn more about our laser dentistry, schedule a consultation by calling our office or using our online booking feature today.