NON-SURGICAL PERIODONTAL TREATMENT

WITH CURRENT,  STATE-OF-THE-ART LASER TECHNOLOGY

 

This information is provided to help you understand the periodontal disease process,  the traditional methods of treatment, and the alternative laser periodontal therapy currently being offered in our office. If you feel that you have periodontal disease and might be a candidate for the non-surgical laser periodontal treatment, please contact our office and set up a complimentary consult. This visit is not the complete examination with x-rays and the determination of a custom treatment plan, but rather a brief exam and consult to answer your questions and determine if this type of treatment will benefit your situation.

 

PERIODONTITIS OR PERIODONTAL DISEASE OVERVIEW—

·It is a common infectious / inflammatory disease of the tissues that surround and support the teeth affecting approximately 50% of U.S. adults over 30 years of age.

·It is caused by the presence of specific bacteria, called biofilm or plaque, growing on the tooth’s surfaces under the gum line. Bacterial plaque that has hardened is called calculus.

·If left untreated, this disease results in the loss of attachment fibers of the tooth to the bone and the actual progressive loss of bone itself.

·This loss of fiber attachment and bone loss creates what is known as a deepened periodontal pocket. This deeper pocket then provides an environment which allows further colonization by the disease causing bacteria.

·The continued, irreversible loss of bone will eventually lead to the loosening and subsequent loss of teeth.

 

TRADITIONAL TREATMENT—

Initial:

·The initial step in the treatment of periodontitis involves the non-surgical removal of bacterial plaque and calculus from all tooth surfaces above and below the gumline.

·This procedure, known as a deep cleaning or scaling and root planing (SRP), uses specialized instruments to mechanically remove plaque and calculus from below the gumline; it usually requires multiple visits and local anesthesia to accomplish properly.

·It is imperative that the patient improve and maintain excellent personal oral hygiene for the treatment of periodontal disease to be successful and long lasting.

Reevaluation:

·Many clinical studies have repeatedly shown that non-surgical scaling and root planing alone is rarely successful in periodontal pocket depths greater than 4-5mm.

·Therefore, it is necessary for the patient to receive a periodontal reevaluation 6-8 weeks after the initial SRP, to determine if the treatment was successful in reducing pocket depths and eliminating inflammation.

·It has been found that pocket depths of 5-6mm or greater, with bleeding, are indicative of continued active disease and will very likely show further bone loss over time. These types of diseased pockets require further treatment.

Surgery:

·If the initial non-surgical treatment was not successful in controlling periodontitis, periodontal surgery would be the next traditional step necessary to control periodontal disease. This type of surgery usually involves the cutting of the gums to physically reduce the deep pockets, sutures, and a gum packing to assist in proper healing. 

 

LIMITATIONS OF TRADITIONAL TREATMENT—

·As mentioned earlier, many clinical studies have repeatedly shown that non-surgical scaling and root planing alone is rarely successful in the treatment of periodontal pocket depths greater than 4-5mm.

·The limited success of the scaling and root planing procedure is related to the inability of subgingival instrumentation to eradicate specific microbes, anatomic root shapes that restrict access, and the presence of bacteria in root cementum and dentin.

·These statistics and facts are why additional, adjunctive periodontal treatment procedures to supplement scaling and root planing have been sought and used for many years.

·Because of the limitations mentioned above, gum surgery is very often recommended. However, because of the pain, discomfort, and costs involved with gum surgery, many patients with periodontal disease are looking for a non-surgical alternative.

 

 

**********We now have the NON-SURGICAL alternative…**********

 

 

CURRENT, STATE OF THE ART NON-SURGICAL LASER PERIODONTAL TREATMENT—                                    THE ULTRASPEED CO² LASER

·With the continued development of lasers in dentistry, the Ultraspeed CO² laser has shown to be an excellent tool in the non-surgical treatment of periodontal disease.

·The Ultraspeed CO² laser decontaminates the pocket and allows healing by: bacterial reduction, vaporization of the biofilm, and enhancement of the re-attachment of the connective tissue to the tooth—cumulatively these factors result in a non-surgical reduction of the pocket depth and healing.

·In addition, the Ultraspeed CO² laser can decontaminate the subgingival root surfaces and actually desensitize the root surface itself.

·The desired result is a shallow, healthy pocket with no inflammation which the patient can maintain in a plaque free environment.

 

LASER PERIODONTAL TREATMENT PROTOCOL—

·The treatment is initiated with traditional scaling and root planning (SRP) to remove the gross amounts of plaque and tartar, followed immediately by the Ultraspeed CO² laser decontamination of the pocket to eliminate the bacteria and biofilm.

·A custom treatment plan will be developed for each patient depending on the severity and location of the disease as well as the depths of the initial diseased pockets.

·Pockets that are very deep will require additional laser decontamination treatments at ten day intervals.

·Re-evaluation of healing and pocket resolution will determine how many sessions will be required at ten day intervals.

·In extreme cases, some patients may require additional, isolated periodontal gum surgery to gain full pocket resolution and health.

 

 

    **********FREE PERIODONTAL CONSULT**********

If you feel that you have periodontal disease and might be a candidate for the non-surgical laser periodontal treatment, please contact our office and set up a complimentary consult. This visit is not the complete examination with x-rays and the determination of a custom treatment plan, but rather a brief exam and consult to answer your questions and determine if this type of treatment will benefit your situation.