The Benefits of Laser Gum Surgery for Treating Periodontal Disease in Dentistry
Laser gum surgery has revolutionized how periodontists treat gum disease for patients with moderate to severe cases. LANAP and LAPIP laser surgery offer many advantages and benefits over traditional gum surgery. Dr. Molina provides these advanced procedures to patients here at Twin Rivers Periodontics. Here is more information about laser gum surgery and its benefits in treating gum disease.
How Traditional Gum Surgery is Performed
Knowing about traditional gum surgery is essential to understand how beneficial laser gum therapy is. Gum surgery is an invasive procedure that can require either local anesthesia or full sedation, depending on how much tissue has to be removed. The surgeon cuts into the gumline and excises diseased gum tissue. Sutures are required to seal up the incisions when the procedure is finished.
Traditional surgery’s healing process is painful and can last for weeks. Since healing takes so long, there is also a higher risk of infection. Patients can experience severe gumline recession from traditional surgery. People who take blood thinners or who have conditions like diabetes may not be eligible for the surgery, which can result in a noticeable recession of the gumline.
How LANAP and LAPIP Laser Surgery Are Performed
Dr. Molina will first perform an exam to ensure you are a good candidate for laser gum surgery. This may involve taking X-rays. Feel free to ask questions during the consultation. Just before the treatment, a topical anesthetic or sedative will be administered. The doctor then uses the laser to remove diseased tissue and destroy any bacteria on the gums and tooth roots. Tartar is removed from the roots, and then the laser is passed over them again to stimulate clotting. The blood clot forms a seal around the gum pocket, preventing infection and promoting faster healing.
Benefits of Laser Gum Therapy
LANAP and LAPIP laser surgery are FDA-approved as safe treatments for gum disease. These are highly beneficial treatments that offer many benefits over traditional gum surgery.
No cutting or scalpel work is involved in a laser gum therapy procedure. A patient does not have to be fully sedated. The low-level laser only targets diseased tissue and bacteria, so no healthy tissues are damaged. You will not require stitches after a laser gum treatment. The laser works to cauterize the wound. This allows the body’s natural healing mechanisms to take over and lets you quickly heal from the procedure.
With no cutting or sutures, the procedure is far less painful than traditional gum surgery. You may need to take an over-the-counter pain medication, but the healing process generally only takes less than 24 hours. This is a significant advantage compared to the weeks of painful recovery time required after painful scalpel surgery.
Because the laser removes diseased tissue and does not impact healthy tissue, bleeding is minimized during LANAP or LAPIP surgery. This means that people taking blood thinners or with conditions like hemophilia or diabetes may be candidates for the procedure.
At the end of this procedure, the laser stimulates blood clot formulation. The blood clot reattaches the healthy gum tissue to the teeth or implants, providing the perfect environment for naturally healing bone and gum tissue. It also seals the area around the teeth, so there’s a significantly reduced chance of infection.
Laser gum dental surgery is a very calm procedure that involves minimal pain
Even people with a fear of dental or periodontal treatments should experience less anxiety from this type of surgery. Laser gum surgery is much more cost-effective than traditional scalpel surgery and less time-consuming. The treatment will require two separate two-hour sessions or one four-hour session to complete.
As you can see, laser gum surgery has many advantages and benefits over traditional scalpel surgery. It is cheaper, faster, virtually pain-free, and preserves more of your healthy gum tissue. If you are concerned about gum disease or your dentist has recommended seeing a gum specialist, contact us at Twin Rivers Periodontics to schedule an appointment.