Tag Archives: gums

Laser Gum Surgery to Treat Gingivitis

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Dr. Tom Tinney, D.D.S. – Laser Dentistry

The purpose of your gums is to give shape and form to the contours of your mouth and provide as a frame for your teeth, and laser dentistry is a great way to keep gums healthy. Sometimes teeth may appear too long or too short, which is a clear sign of gum disease or recession. Many people opt for cosmetic laser gum surgery to keep their smile looking perfect. For excessive gingival display, gum tissue is remodeled or removed to make it more proportioned with teeth. Lasers are the tool of choice for reshaping gums. If a laser isn’t enough, crown lengthening is done on the teeth as well. After the surgery, the patient is advised to gargle anti-bacterial rinse for two weeks to avoid infection.

Laser Dentistry Treatment At Dentist Elk Grove

However, gum disease treatment becomes much more complicated once gingivitis has truly taken hold and periodontal disease has set in. Traditionally, the treatment of gingivitis through surgery removes a lot of gum and can endanger and weaken teeth. That is, until the development of a new technique called Laser Assisted New Attachment Program, where the diseased gum tissue is removed without having to cut or stitch the gums. Today, this is the only laser therapy approved by the FDA for surgery to treat periodontal disease (laser dentistry).

Although only a portion of dentists are versed in laser dentistry treatment for gingivitis, it is becoming increasingly popular and may one day completely take over conventional surgery in the treatment of gingivitis. Laser gum surgery for the treatment of gingivitis has only been truly perfected more recently to where it’s been deemed acceptable for patient use.
There are significant advantages to laser gum surgery opposed to the conventional method. If you are a candidate for laser gum surgery, the surgery itself is usually less painful for the patient even though it is more complicated for the surgeon, with less healing time, less inflammation, and less pain overall. At present, surgery results are not fully realized for a year, which can make it difficult to give completely accurate diagnosis of the laser method. The difference is that the laser gum surgery promotes regeneration to reduce the periodontal pocket depths while traditional gum surgery amputates the gums to attain a healthy periodontal pocket depth.

While both laser gum surgery and traditional gum treatments will produce healthier gums, there are some major differences. Since Traditional surgery removes gum tissue to produce shallower periodontal pockets, this exposes the roots of the teeth to the oral environment. As a result, the teeth look longer as more of the teeth are exposed. This often produces teeth that are sensitive to cold and hot temperatures. Also, by exposing the roots it increases the risk of getting cavities on these root surfaces.

Laser Dentistry Is Noninvasive

Despite laser gum surgery’s relatively noninvasive nature in the treatment of gingivitis, experts stress that prevention of periodontal disease is still far preferable to having surgery to treat gingivitis once it’s taken hold. One of the most important things people have to do for good gum health is to floss. Experts conclude that while brushing can remove about one third of plaque and debris from the teeth, only flossing can remove the other hidden two thirds. Even though laser gum surgery is promising in the treatment of gingivitis, gum disease treatment is less preferable than taking care of the problem before it ever takes hold for good.

Dr. Tom Tinney, DDS (916) 236-4551 – Dentist Elk Grove

Laser Dentistry

Treating Gum Disease

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Dr. Tom Tinney, D.D.S. – Gum Disease

If you have bleeding, puffy, or agitated gums, you may be one of the adults who have gum disease. Periodontal disease can lead to receding gums, loss of teeth, chronic bad breath, and has recently been linked with heart disease. Treating gum disease can reverse the process and help both teeth and gums to become healthy again. Periodontal disease, commonly known as gum disease, afflicts about 85% of adults. This condition is not to be taken lightly; when untreated; gum disease can lead to recession of the gums, loss of teeth, and heart disease.

A periodontist is a dentist who specializes in the prevention, diagnosis and treating gum disease, and even laser dentistry. Periodontists receive extensive training in these areas, including three additional years of education beyond dental school. Periodontists are familiar with the latest techniques for treating gum disease. In addition, they can perform cosmetic periodontal procedures to help you achieve the smile you desire.

Dentist Elk Grove Can Help With Gum Disease

Most periodontists would agree that after scaling and root planing, many patients do not require any further active treatment in treating gum disease. However, the majority of patients will require ongoing maintenance therapy to sustain health. Non-surgical therapy does have its limitations, however, and when it does not achieve periodontal health, surgery may be indicated to restore periodontal anatomy damaged by periodontal diseases and to facilitate oral hygiene practices.

Limited research suggests that the use of lasers as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) may improve the effectiveness of this procedure. In addition, when the lasers are used properly during periodontal therapy there can be less bleeding, swelling and discomfort to the patient during surgery.

Don’t Hide From Gum Disease

If you’re diagnosed with gum disease, your periodontist may recommend periodontal surgery. Periodontal surgery is necessary when your periodontist determines that the tissue around your teeth is unhealthy and cannot be repaired with non-surgical treatment. Following are the four types of surgical treatments most commonly prescribed:

  • A pocket reduction procedure has been recommended because you have pockets that are too deep to clean with daily at-home oral hygiene and a professional care routine. During this procedure, your periodontist folds back the gum tissue and removes the disease-causing bacteria before securing the tissue into place. In some cases, irregular surfaces of the damaged bone are smoothed to limit areas where disease-causing bacteria can hide. This allows the gum tissue to better reattach to healthy bone.
  • Your periodontist may recommend a regenerative procedure when the bone supporting your teeth has been destroyed. These procedures can reverse some of the damage by regenerating lost bone and tissue. During this procedure, your periodontist folds back the gum tissue and removes the disease-causing bacteria. Membranes (filters), bone grafts or tissue-stimulating proteins can be used to encourage your body’s natural ability to regenerate bone and tissue.
  • During a crown lengthening procedure, excess gum and bone tissue is reshaped to expose more of the natural tooth. This can be done to one tooth, to even your gum line, or to several teeth to expose a natural, broad smile. Your dentist or periodontist may also recommend crown lengthening to make a restorative or cosmetic dental procedure possible. If your tooth is decayed, broken below the gum line, or has insufficient tooth structure for a restoration, such as a crown or bridge. Crown lengthening adjusts the gum and bone level to expose more of the tooth so it can be restored.
  • Soft tissue grafts can be used to cover roots or develop gum tissue where absent due to excessive gingival recession. During this procedure, your periodontist takes gum tissue from your palate or another donor source to cover the exposed root. This can be done for one tooth or several teeth to even your gum line and reduce sensitivity.

Habitual brushing and flossing can prevent gum disease. However, once gum disease develops, brushing and flossing alone are not enough. Treating periodontal disease requires a thorough cleaning of the teeth and gums (to avoid gum disease), followed by continual treatment of the area with a FDA approved, Elk Grove Dentist prescribed solution.

Dr. Tom Tinney, DDS (916) 236-4551 – Dentist Elk Grove

gum disease

Mouth Infection Sources

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A mouth infection can have several causes ranging from a minor problem to something very serious. It can involve the teeth, gums, cheeks, lips and tonsils. It’s rare that the tongue or the floor of the mouth becomes infected. When they do it’s usually from trauma. There can be pain, bad breath, difficulty chewing which can aggravate a TMJ problem or systemic disease.

Periodontitis is a common chronic bacterial infection of the supporting structures of the teeth. The host response to this infection is an important factor in determining the extent and severity of the disease. Systemic conditions may modify the extent of periodontitis principally through their effects on normal immune and inflammatory mechanisms.

An ulcer is a hole that forms in the lining of the mouth when the top layer of cells breaks down and the underlying tissue shows through. An ulcer appears white because of the dead cells and food debris inside the hole. Because the normal flow of saliva helps protect the lining of the mouth, any condition that decreases saliva production makes mouth sores more likely. Any sore that lasts for 10 days or more must be examined by a dentist or doctor to ensure that it is not cancerous.

An infection of the cheek or lip is often of viral origin and difficult to treat. Two very common problems involving the cheeks, lips and the gums are apthous ulcers, canker sores and herpes. Fortunately, they normally run their course and disappear 7 to 10 days later. Herpes stomatitis is caused by the herpes virus which also causes cold sores. The first herpes incident that a child has can be severe. It is most common in children 1-2 years old and causes many small, sore, open blisters inside the mouth and on the gums and tongue along with a fever.

Small amounts of the candida fungus are present in the mouth, digestive tract, and skin of most healthy people and are normally kept in check by other bacteria and microorganisms in the body. However, certain illnesses, stress, or medications can disturb the delicate balance, causing the fungus candida to grow out of control, causing infection. It appears as a white patch, which can easily be stripped off to leave a red, bloody area. If you’re an adult with oral thrush, you may be able to control the infection by eating unsweetened yogurt or taking acidophilus capsules or liquid. Acidophilus is available in natural food stores and many drugstores. Some brands need to be refrigerated to maintain their potency. Yogurt and acidophilus don’t destroy the fungus, but they can help restore the normal bacterial flora in your body. If this isn’t effective, your doctor or dentist may prescribe a mild antifungal medical mouth rinse.

Heredity also plays a role in mouth health. The overall strength of teeth is generally passed on from parent to child. Other risk factors such as neglect and poor nutrition are controllable factors. Long term mouth disease can lead to serious complications such as, chronic fatigue, blood infections, septic poisoning, and even death in rare cases. Complications from undiagnosed conjoining diseases are innumerable.

Laser Periodontics

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Periodontics is the branch of dentistry concerned with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the gums and supporting structures of the teeth. Periodontists are also expert in the placement and maintenance of dental implants. Today there are two dozen indications for use with various dental laser devices; and the clinical applications continue to increase, making the laser one of dentistry’s most exciting advances with unique patient benefits. Laser-assisted new attachment procedure (LANAP™ ) is therapy designed for the treatment of periodontitis through regeneration rather than resection. This therapy and the laser used to perform it have been in use for more than a decade. In surgery a variable dental laser is used by a trained and certified Elk Grove dentist or periodontist to treat the periodontal pocket. The laser energy selectively removes diseased or infected pocket tissue from the underlying connective tissue. Since the laser energy is quite selective for pocket epithelium, the underlying pleuropotential connective tissue is spared, thereby permitting healing and regeneration rather than formation of a pocket seal by long junctional epithelium.

Each wavelength has a somewhat unique effect on dental structures, due to the specific absorption of that laser energy in the tissue. Some lasers are only absorbed by blood and tissue pigments, while others are only absorbed by water as well as hard tissue, like enamel, dentin, and bone. More specifically, the wavelengths can be categorized into three groups. Diode and Nd:YAG wavelengths target the pigments in soft tissue and pathogens as well as inflammatory and vascularized tissue. Carbon Dioxide lasers also easily interact with free water molecules in soft tissue as well as vaporizing the intracellular water of pathogens. Erbium lasers are sometimes called all tissue instruments because of their very short temporal emission mode and absorption in the water of soft and hard tissue.

Lasers produce light energy that can be absorbed by a target tissue, and this absorption process produces a thermal reaction in that tissue. Depending on the instrument’s parameters and the optical properties of the tissue, the temperature will rise and various effects will occur. In general, most non-sporulating bacteria, including anaerobes, are readily deactivated at temperatures of 50 degrees C. The inflammatory soft tissue present in periodontal disease can be removed at 60 degrees C; moreover, hemostasis can also be reached within the same heat parameters. Soft tissue excisional or incisional surgery is accomplished at 100 degrees C, where vaporization of intra- and extra cellular water causes ablation, or removal of biological tissue. Likewise, the aqueous component of tooth structure and bone also boils at this temperature; thus cavity preparation, calculus removal, and osseous contouring can proceed.

After the procedure, most patients experience new root surface coating and new connective tissues formation  on teeth roots, preventing tooth loss. Pocket depth reduction is comparable to that achieved by conventional pocket reduction surgery, but without the gingival recession normally associated with osseous surgery. Significant post-operative reduction in gingival indices, gingival inflammation, and bleeding on probing are also common desirable results of using lasers in periodontics. Lasers use spares more healthy tissue than scaling and root planing, patients experience minimal post-operative recession and disfigurement or root sensitivity. These results reduce the future risk of root caries and dental decay of the tooth root. Minimal pain is easily controlled through the use of ibuprofen. Patients are encouraged to improve and maintain standards of oral hygiene to prevent further active periodontitis.

What Receding Gum Treatments are Available in Sacramento?

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Although some people are predisposed to receding gums due to heredity, prematurely receding gums may be prevented with proper oral hygiene — daily brushing, flossing and regular visits to the dentist. Many dentists will advise patients to focus on proper flossing, saying that it is even more important than brushing alone. For people that suffer receding gums due to overly exuberant brushing, consider switching to a softer bristled toothbrush and ask your dental hygienist for tips to improve your technique. Receding gums are typically a normal part of the aging process, many people may notice them much earlier than usual. Gums may recede due to genetics but they may also be caused by periodontal or gum disease. Sometimes receding gums can be identified at first glance, but they may be detected by feeling the top of the teeth at the gum line. If the tooth feels notched at the gum line, then the gums are likely receding, thus hastening the decay of healthy teeth.

Treatment should start with addressing the problem that caused the gum recession. If poor plaque control was a contributing factor, improved oral hygiene must be performed, combined with regular professional dental cleanings. If severe tartar was the cause, then a procedure called scaling and root planing may be necessary to clean the teeth and heal inflammation in the gums. If malocclusion or incorrect bite was a factor, a bite adjustment or bite splint may be recommended. Receding gums may also be caused by teeth that are misaligned, or by excessive plaque build-up at the gum line. Misaligned teeth can be addressed by an orthodontist through the application of braces or other treatments. Regular cleanings to remove plaque build up as well as treatments for possible periodontal disease should be undertaken where appropriate. New research is focused on using stem cells to culture the patients’ own gums to replace receded gums.

For those with severely receded gums, a graft from another part of the mouth may be the only option for treatment. For others with healthy teeth and gums, there are currently two methods for the treatment of receding gums. In one treatment, the dentist drills holes in the teeth and then fills them with a material that helps keep the gums from receding further. This is perhaps the most commonly used method by dentists in the United States. The second, and newer method for the treatment of receding gums has not yet been approved by the American Dental Association. Instead of drilling holes in the teeth, the smooth surface of the tooth is roughened with a dental drill. A light coating of adhesive or filling material is then applied to the tooth and allowed to dry slightly. After this step, the teeth are “cured” by exposing them to a special blue light at a high intensity. This is followed with another layer of adhesive material.

Treating receding gums is important, not only for comfort, but also to preserve the health of your teeth. When gums recede, the exposed portion of the tooth is much more sensitive, causing discomfort when consuming hot or cold foods and liquids. It can also lead to greater risk of tooth decay and other oral conditions such as a poor bite, sore jaw, periodontal disease and tooth loss.