Tag Archives: tissue

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

Preventative Dentistry to Avoid Gum Disease

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Preventative dentistry relies on good oral hygiene and regular dental care that is essential throughout your life, whatever your age. By practicing good oral hygiene at home and visiting the doctor regularly, you will help prevent dental problems and aid in early detection of problems such as gum disease, tooth decay, and tooth loss. In the process, you can save your teeth and gums. You should visit your dentist every 6 months for routine cleanings and check ups. A complete program of preventive dental begins with regular cleanings to control plaque and calculus, which cause tooth decay and periodontal disease.

Gum disease is an infection of the tissues that support your teeth. It is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. Because gum disease is usually painless, you may not know you have it. It is caused by plaque, a sticky film of bacteria that constantly forms on teeth. The bacteria create toxins that will damage gums. At each regular checkup the dentist will measure the depth of the shallow v-shaped crevice between your tooth and gums to identify whether you have gum disease.

Periodontal diseases are classified according to the severity of the disease. The two major stages are gingivitis and periodontitis. Periodontal diseases attack just below the gum line, where they cause the attachment of the tooth and its supporting tissues to break down. As the tissues are damaged they develop into a pocket; generally, the more severe the disease, the greater the depth of the pocket. With gingivitis, the gums become red, swollen and bleed easily. At this stage, the disease is still reversible and can usually be eliminated by daily brushing and flossing. In the more advanced stages of gum disease, called periodontitis, the gums and bone that support the teeth become seriously damaged. The teeth can become loose, fall out, or have to be removed by a dentist.

Tooth decay or cavities can develop on all surfaces of any tooth. A decaying tooth may not cause you pain, so you may have a cavity and not realize it. The dentist checks for tooth decay at your regular check-ups and will periodically use x-rays to check for decay between teeth. The dentist treats tooth decay by cleaning out the cavity and placing a restoration or filling in the tooth.

By fighting plaque you can keep your teeth for a lifetime. You can start fighting plaque and keeping your gums and teeth healthy at any age by following some simple guidelines:

  • Schedule regular check-ups. Visit the doctor regularly for professional cleanings and oral exams.
  • Brush your teeth twice a day with a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste to remove food particles and plaque from the tooth surfaces.
  • Clean between your teeth daily with floss. Flossing removes plaque and food particles from between the teeth and under the gum line.
  • Eat a balanced diet with limited snacks. Nutritious foods such as raw vegetables, plain yogurt, cheese or a piece of fruit should be chosen for snacks.
  • Ask the doctor about dental sealants, a protective plastic coating that can be applied to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth where decay often starts.

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.