Newer advances in dentistry now give each Dentist in Ellicott City MD more options for helping patients avoid pain and anxiety as well as offer them more options for improving their dental health. Dentists like David Lee D.D.S now offer laser dentistry to their patients. This tool uses a very specific beam of light to target just the right spot on a tooth that would otherwise need drilling. It can even be used on soft tissues like the gums without causing pain, such as in repairing an exact spot on the gum line that needs surgery.
This kind of laser does not use heat, and it also doesn’t have the noise and vibration that patients are used to with the dental drill. Just the reduction of noise and vibration alone can put a patient more at ease during the procedure. The dentist can use the laser for removing cavities, for performing root canal therapy, and correcting the gum line such as in gingovectomies. Laser treatment is also used to treat periodontal disease.
Three out of four people in the US will end up with periodontal disease, which is an infection caused by bacteria that gets below the gum line. Oral health means not just taking care of the teeth, but also taking care of the soft tissues of the mouth, especially the gums. Even with otherwise healthy teeth, if your gums are unhealthy, you can eventually lose your teeth when the gums can no longer surround and support the teeth. Periodontal disease is mostly caused by plaque on the teeth. There are bacteria in the plaque that attack the gums. Brushing and flossing, along with dental cleanings, can keep plaque at bay.
When plaque bacteria get into the gums, patients are unaware of it because it doesn’t cause pain until the very advanced stages, at which point surgery is the only option. Meanwhile, though, the bacteria is destroying gum tissues, and it’s also communicable. If the dentist diagnoses a patient with periodontal disease, he can use the laser to painlessly disinfect the pockets of bacteria so that the gums have a better chance of healing themselves. Laser treatment may take several visits.
