While traditional periodontal treatments such as pocket reduction/osseous surgery are effective and widely used to treat periodontitis, these procedures usually involve incisions, stitches, long appointments, and longer recovery. Thanks to lasers, periodontists can now offer patients an alternative treatment for their periodontal disease.
To highlight this option, here are 5 benefits of choosing laser therapy for gum disease treatment:
No Cutting or Stitches
Rather than making incisions into the gum to access the periodontal pocket, a dental laser such as the PerioLase® MVP-7™ can access the pocket using focused light beams that remove diseased tissue and vaporize harmful bacteria by simply placing the laser wand toward the diseased pocket. That means that when you finish the treatment, you will not have to deal with periodontal gum bandages and stitches for several weeks like after traditional surgery.
Less Bleeding
Typically during traditional gum treatments, gums bleed for two reasons, the presence of infection and tissue incisions. Because no incisions are needed, patients can expect less bleeding from the beginning of the procedure. Even better, patients will notice nearly no bleeding when their procedure ends because the laser’s last pass in the pocket forms a gel-clot that seals the pocket while it heals.
More Precise
Using a dental laser, your periodontist can adjust the power and wavelength based on your level of disease. That means that your laser therapy is designed for your individual case, which allows the treatment to be less invasive.
Not only that, but lasers only remove harmful bacteria and diseased tissue, leaving healthy tissue unharmed, which encourages healing.
Faster Recovery
Because dental lasers work so efficiently within the gum pocket, patients will experience a drastically faster and easier recovery period vs. traditional surgery. Since lasers cause less tissue trauma, the gum pockets heal quickly with minimal discomfort.
More Comfortable
During the procedure, patients are comfortable because of local anesthesia that numbs the treatment area. But while in the chair, the laser pass is quiet and comfortable, which helps to keep patients relaxed. After treatment, patients comfortably recover the same day with rest, ibuprofen as needed, prescription mouth rinses, and a modified diet for a few days.
Because periodontal disease is a serious oral infection that can affect your overall health, patients want to seek treatment that is effective but may worry about the idea of invasive surgery. Knowing that laser technology is now an option for treating periodontal disease helps to reduce patient anxieties about seeking periodontal treatment. Patients who choose laser treatment find that they are usually more relaxed during the procedure and have a positive experience.
If you have been told that you have periodontal disease, find out if laser therapy can help you! Contact us today for more information.