Laser Periodontal Therapy
For many people, fear and dentistry go hand-in-hand. At Commonwealth Periodontics and Implant Center, we hope to alleviate some of the fear with breakthrough technology that incorporates laser as part of treatment for gum disease.
Dr. Susan Gibson and Dr. Wil Carroll have been using this technology since October 2009 with great results.
“We are really excited about this technology,” Carroll said. “With this, we can offer our patients a less painful treatment than before. We think this is a nice investment for our patients.”
Both doctors are fully trained and licensed to perform Laser Periodontal Therapy, an FDA cleared and patented laser gum therapy that greatly reduces the pain and recovery time associated with traditional gum surgery.
Gum disease is a silent, painless, chronic, communicable, bacterial infection that often goes undetected or ignored until severe gum and bone destruction catch the individuals attention. Fifty out of 100 people have moderate to severe gum disease, 40 out of 50 don’t know it and only three people out of 100 will get treated before it’s too late.
Traditional treatment for gum disease has been perceived as painful with a long and uncomfortable recovery. With this new technology, cutting and stitches have been replaced with the laser, thus eliminating pain and making recovery time quicker and less complicated.
“This laser is doing for Periodontists what it did for Optometrists,” Carroll said, noting that Lasik surgery evolved from RK, when they used to actually cut on the lens of the eye.”
“This treatment is specific for inflamed tissue,” Gibson said. “It will not harm healthy tissue. It is highly absorbed in blood and there is very little bleeding involved.”
“In the past, we used to use a scalpel to cut around the tooth, then pull the tissue away from the tooth root and the bone,” Gibson added. “We would reshape the bone leaving the tooth root exposed and the tooth would be very sensitive.”
Now, using the laser, it’s a whole different world. “With the laser, the blood is heated,” Gibson said. “That makes a seal and the sticky blood works like glue and that’s why we don’t have to use stitches any longer.” It is very important that the sticky clot is not dislodged for three weeks. The patient is required to be on a mushy diet and lightly brush the area for three weeks. “This allows the body time to repair itself,” Carroll said. “Another positive is that patients don’t have to stop taking blood thinner medications when we use the laser.” “The PerioLase MVP-7 is the first and only laser to receive FDA clearance for a patented procedure called Laser Periodontal Therapy.
Following LPT, the patient can expect improvement in gum health, reduced bleeding and tightening of loose teeth,” Dr. Gibson said. “The treatment of periodontal disease can now be accomplished without using scalpels or stitches, which means less pain, less down time and less fear for the patient.”