Laser Gum Treatments: A Minimally Invasive Approach to Gum Health

According to the CDC, nearly half (46%) of Americans aged 30 or older have some form of gum disease! At a minimum, periodontal disease can give you swollen or bleeding gums, especially when cleaning your teeth. Gum disease can cause bad breath, receding gums, and tooth loss without proper treatment. As if this isn’t scary enough, the infection can leak into the bloodstream, putting you at risk of heart disease and diabetes!

If you have gum disease in Sioux City, Iowa, you should take action quickly before matters spiral out of control. Book an appointment with Hindman Family Dentistry for effective periodontal care. Dr. Joshua Hindman and the team use laser gum treatments to overcome gum infection without scalpels and sutures. Laser periodontal care is a less invasive treatment alternative to traditional oral surgery. 

Understanding gum disease 

Your mouth is home to billions of bacteria. There are about 700 species of bacteria in the oral microbiome. While this sounds icky, certain healthy bacteria protect your oral cavity. Unfortunately, bad bacteria can infiltrate your mouth, causing gum disease.

Poor oral hygiene is the number one reason for gum disease development. When you fail to brush or floss your teeth properly, food and saliva mix with harmful bacteria to form a sticky, colorless film called plaque. The dental plaque creates an ideal breeding ground for bad bacteria. As the bacteria feed on food leftovers, they secrete acidic substances that inflame the gingival tissues. When plaque is left to thrive, it hardens into tartar, further irritating your gums. 

Gum disease develops in stages. The early stage —gingivitis— causes mild symptoms such as gum swelling and bleeding. If not treated, gingivitis advances into periodontitis, which causes gums to pull away (recede) from the teeth. These periodontal pockets allow bacteria to attack deeper, gradually damaging the gingival ligaments and teeth-supporting bone.

How laser gum disease treatment works

Gingivitis can be reversed with diligent oral hygiene coupled with regular dental cleanings. However, advanced cases of periodontal disease require additional interventions. Most dentists use deep teeth cleaning (scaling and root planing) to remove built-up dental calculus and smooth out tooth roots to promote healing. In severe periodontitis, the dentist may use gum flap surgery to repair periodontal pockets. 

Dr. Hindman avoids these invasive treatments by using laser-enhanced dentistry that’s conservative, precise, and painless. Laser gum treatment uses a pen-like device to focus a beam of intense light on the diseased gum tissues. Lasers remove accumulated plaque and tartar and eliminate the infected tissues while leaving the healthy tissues intact.

Benefits of laser periodontal therapy

Traditional gum surgery involves incisions and sutures that can leave visible changes in your smile. Besides, these invasive procedures often leave wounds that require time to heal. Now, with laser dentistry, our office has a conservative treatment option that leaves your gums uncut and unscarred. 

These are the benefits of laser gum treatments.

  • Precisely target infected tissues
  • Minimal downtime
  • It’s painless
  • It’s less traumatic, resulting in minimal bleeding
  • Effective in gum disease treatment

Have you been avoiding periodontal care because of fear of traditional treatments? Consider laser periodontal care from Hindman Family Dentistry in Sioux City, IA. Laser-enhanced dentistry effectively treats gum disease without traumatic experiences. To get started, please call (712) 274-2228 to schedule a consultation with our team.