Laser Treatments May Be The Solution For Your Gum Disease

It's important to seek treatment for your gum disease while it's still in the early stages. If you don't, infection can spread underneath the gums and cause more serious problems. Once your gum disease is advanced, surgery may be the only option for treating it. Fortunately, laser gum surgery is becoming more common. It is less traumatic and time consuming than traditional gum surgery. Here is some information on how it works.

Why Surgery Is Needed For Gum Disease

Gum disease starts with the accumulation of plaque and tartar on your teeth. As the hardened deposits build up, they irritate your gums. This is what causes the inflammation and swelling. Eventually, your gums pull away from your teeth far enough for bacteria to get underneath them. Then pockets of infection form around your teeth that cause your gums to further erode. The infection can even attack your bone.

Surgery is done to clear out the pockets of infection. This usually includes cutting away part of your gums. Traditionally, this was done by making an incision in your gums and then scraping out the infected material. The dentist would normally work on a few teeth during each visit, so the treatment was a long and drawn out process. Laser gum treatments are done in a much different way. No cutting is involved, and more teeth can be treated at once.

How Laser Gum Treatments Are Done

The laser used for gum treatments has a fiber on the end that's about three times the size of a human hair. It's so tiny that the dentist can slip it between your tooth and gum without having to make an incision. Once the fiber is in place, it is able to kill off bacteria and dead tissue. It seals blood vessels as it works, so there is very little bleeding. Because the laser treatment is not traumatic, there is little swelling or pain afterwards. There is also much less risk of infection since no incision is necessary. You'll be able to go about your usual activities right after the treatment is over.

While the laser surgery kills the infection with a single treatment, it will take several weeks or months for your gums to fully heal and reattach to your teeth. During that time, you'll want to follow your dentist's instructions for oral care so you can prevent infections from redeveloping under your gums. Once your gum disease is healed, have regular dental visits to keep the plaque and tartar scraped off your teeth. If you don't, gum disease can develop once again.

For more information about this treatment option, contact a local dental clinic like Neu Family Dental Center.