Laser gum surgery: what you need to know

This is a treatment that has recently been developed to treat gum disease. With this surgery, you will remove diseased gum tissue using a laser light. It is a procedure that does not use a scalpel. The length of the procedure will depend on the amount of diseased gum tissue. Most patients say there is very little discomfort; there are many dentists who will give or offer their patients a local anesthetic. To ensure that the healing process is successful, the patient will need to strictly follow the dentist’s instructions when returning home.

This surgery was developed in the 1990s in the state of California. In 2004 it received medical approval to be performed in the United States. It is known as the new laser assisted fixation procedure (LANAP). To perform laser gum surgery, the periodontist or dentist must be certified in this procedure before they can offer the service to their patients. Patients with gum disease now receive treatment that helps ease their fear of pain. When a patient is treated for gum disease, it can lower their chances of having a stroke or heart attack. There is an established link between gum disease and these two medical conditions.

It is a simple procedure. If your dentist offers local anesthesia or the patient requests it, the dentist will place a fiber optic strand between the gum and the tooth. Then there are pulses of laser light that will kill the bacteria and help sterilize the area. The second probe will remove plaque build-up on the tooth using high-frequency vibrations. The final step is when the dentist will make one last pass with the fiber optic strain to create a blood clot. This blood clot will help promote reattachment of the tooth and gum during the healing process.

Once the procedure is finished, you will be given specific instructions for personal care. Generally, you will only be allowed to eat certain foods. You will also need to follow strict oral hygiene instructions. You may need to use a mouthwash that is antibacterial that you can buy without a prescription several times a day. There will be follow-up visits so the dentist can check for any complications after one week, then thirty days, and then ninety days after laser gum surgery. It usually takes a healing period of nine to twelve months before the dentist can determine the level of success of the surgery. The downside is that laser gum surgery is higher than regular gum surgery.