Periodontal, or gum, disease happens when bacteria gets below the gum line and the attachment between the gum and tooth is lost. This results in a pocket forming with depths exceeding the normal 3mm, and an inability to maintain clean and healthy gums.

Gum disease is a silent, chronic, painless and communicable bacterial infection that often goes undetected or ignored until severe gum and bone destruction is unbearable and no longer able to be ignored. Left untreated, gum disease can cause tooth loss and traditional treatment can hurt.

There are many ways to treat periodontal disease, including scaling and root planing (sometimes referred to as a “deep cleaning”), laser assisted gum therapy, and surgical intervention. Scaling and root planing involves removal of affected tissue, plaque, and calculus from the tooth and root surfaces to promote healing and reattachment of the gums. Laser therapy gently disinfects and evaporates diseased tissues from around the tooth and inside the gum pocket, interrupting the bacterial destruction of the tissues and bone, which allows the gums an environment in which they can heal. Repeated visits, generally 2-8, allow the gum pocket to become disease-free, and often allow tissue to reattach and form a pocket around the tooth that is manageable and near normal. This new laser therapy is gentle and less painful. In some cases, surgery may still be necessary when the periodontal disease is severe. Laser therapy, when possible, is a more conservative, effective, and comfortable option for treating gum disease.

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