Tag Archive for: dental laser
There are different degrees of gum disease. Sometimes it’s mild, manifesting itself as soft tissue swelling, redness, or sensitivity. Other times it’s severe, probably a case that has been neglected too long. Recessed tissues, deep pockets, extreme pain, bad tastes/smells, and an ongoing infection are indicative of periodontitis.
If you have been diagnosed with periodontitis, your level of treatment will depend on the severity of your case. Obviously, mild cases will heal up quickly if you receive prompt treatment and you take care of yourself. A more serious condition of gum disease could take months to properly recover from. Diseased gums that have shrunken and shriveled off teeth need time and a clean, clean environment in order to grow back and fit snugly around them again.
Conventional periodontal therapy/surgery is effective but invasive. In order to remove diseased tissue, parts of the gums and teeth may be simply cut out instead of treated. Ironically, this kind of treatment leads to a longer, harder recovery and can weaken oral health permanently. Risk of mistakes on the dentist’s part increase as well.
In a holistic practice, however, where a laser is used in conjunction with ozone gas, surgery is almost never necessary. Dental laser wavelengths can be calibrated, in a sense, to perform many different functions ranging from gentle cleaning of diseased tissue — without damaging normal tissues in the same area — to cutting and reshaping of tissue. It is completely non-toxic and much less painful than regular slicing and dicing because of its inherent cauterizing properties. Bacteria cannot survive under a laser’s beam, so the process of sterilization is furthermore simplified, especially with additional blasts of ozone gas. Not to mention, recovery is faster and smoother because of minimal intervention and blood flow stimulation.
Perhaps you’ve been diagnosed with gum disease. During an initial inspection of your periodontal health, the degree of the disease will be evaluated and your individual prognosis will be determined. You’ll be instructed on the steps you must take in order to heal. At your appointment, your mouth and teeth will be cleaned and thoroughly prepared so the environment is in the best possible shape for a temporary “construction zone.”
At the site of treatment, the gum pocket(s) will be separated from the tooth with an instrument, and the laser will be used to clean away the infection and dead/decaying parts of the tooth and gums. All exposed surfaces of the tooth and gums are prepared to bond together again so healing may occur. Blood clotting stimulation may be administered to further speed up healing. The process is quite speedy; most cases can be taken care of in a single appointment and may also leave the patient in conditions good enough to return to work the next day.
As always, however, the best cure for a disease or infection is prevention in the first place. My laser adds a fantastic element of superior dental care to this practice, but as the patient, preventing gum disease by yourself in the first place is the best route to take.
Happy flossing!
Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles
www.dentalwellnessarts.com
I recently purchased a PerioLase dental laser. It’s a fabulous tool.
Periodontitis, or gum disease, happens when a bacterial infection develops between the teeth and gums. Naturally, gums are supposed to fit around the teeth snugly. A shallow pocket, however, does exist between healthy teeth and gums, one that should not be deep, painful, or swollen.
The presence of these pockets is why it’s so important to floss. Too many people are lazy about flossing and/or irrigating. The truth is that food will get stuck in those pockets and literally rot right there in your mouth. Pathogenic bacteria will find that leftover food and feast on it. Unfortunately, surrounding tissues are victimized as well while the body’s immune system tries to eliminate the infection. Oral sensitivity, pain, and bad smells will ensue. It sounds disgusting because it is. So floss!
Treating periodontitis traditionally has required incisions and stitches; that means pain and bleeding. Surgical methods of gum disease therapy are still the norm. The vast majority of dentists don’t care for the cost and training involved in adding a laser to their practice. Their reasoning is that it cannot completely replace a drill, so why bother?
The beauty of laser therapy is that it is clean, quick, and virtually painless. There is little to no need for anesthesia (which, if needed, would be local) and it yields great results. One laser can be adjusted to different strengths for different uses. I’ll go over that and how we’d apply it to real-life situations in the next post.
Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles
www.dentalwellnessarts.com
The method of treatment varies from injury to injury and depends on the severity of the damage done. Most injuries are caused by accidents that happen quickly. Major injuries are fairly noticeable because of the bleeding, pain, or visible cracks or chips in the tooth — or maybe it has been knocked out completely. Minor injuries may not be as noticeable at first, but are just as harmful to the tooth. For example, a small crack may occur nearer to the root than the crown and cause damage to the dentin, nerve, pulp, and blood flow to that tooth. Someone may choose to ignore the pain if it is minor enough. But when the tooth starts turning gray or black because it has “died,” then it is probably too late to salvage. If the person had had the tooth closely examined and x-rayed by a dentist, he probably would have been able to avoid the slow decay.
When there is damage to the tooth’s structure, besides preserving what natural structure we can, of equal priority is to protect it from further damage. Ozone gas, of course, works wonderfully for crawling into the microscopic cracks and crannies (whether old or new), completely sterilizing everything inside and out, halting any further decay or infection, and providing an ideal site for strong repairs and healing.
A dental laser is also a useful tool when repairing injured teeth. The laser can be used doubly for sterilization and cleaning out dead tissues that may have accumulated. Shaping soft tissues (gums) and speeding up healing are more of the laser’s useful benefits. To repair cracks and chips, laser- or light-cured composite may be used, and they are much stronger, far less risky, healthier, and better-looking than amalgam. For structure damage, whether caused by poor hygiene/diet or injury, laser-cured composite actually bonds to the tooth itself unlike the silver-mercury amalgam, which will likely crack and separate because of its non-biocompatibility and sensitivity to temperature changes.*
Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles
www.dentalwellnessarts.com
*In other words, don’t consume hot things and cold things simultaneously. That’s one fast way to spring cracks and leaks in your amalgam fillings. While you’re at it, make an appointment to just get them replaced completely. It’s bad to keep mercury in your body.
Ozone and dental lasers are very useful for treating periodontal ailments in our office. Gingivitis, most commonly known as gum disease, is most often caused by improper oral hygiene. Gingivitis symptoms are usually red, swollen, or easily bleeding gums. If left untreated, gingivitis will lead to periodontitis, where the infection spreads to the root of the tooth, under the gumline, and begins to eat away everything that holds your tooth in place. This often leads to a painful process of tooth loss.
The combination of ozone and a dental laser in treating gum disease is phenomenal. The ozone continuously keeps the area sterile, while the dental laser precisely targets the infected area with minimal pain or damage to the surrounding tissues. Healing is accelerated, and health is restored.
Dr. Glenn Boyajian, West Los Angeles
www.dentalwellnessarts.com
I know that I love gadgets and high-tech toys, but this is different. Honestly! I bought a Soft Tissue Laser when I saw the vast benefits my patients would receive. I liked the results so much I went out and bought a second one.
So what makes it great? Good question. The largest benefit on every patient that I see is the ability to completely sterilize a tooth prior to filling a cavity or cementing a crown. Did you know that the best cleansing of bacterial growth on a tooth provided by the traditional method only removes 30% of the bacteria? That leaves a whopping 70% of possible infection enclosed in your tooth! This laser gadget, on the other hand, is capable of removing up to 99.9%. This is great news for those of us that are concerned with dental infections.
Of course there are a great many other uses for the dental laser. But now you see why I received both buyer’s therapy and a clinical reason to buy the laser. We all win!
Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles
www.dentalwellnessarts.com
Contact Us
Dental Wellness Arts
6206 West 87th Street
Westchester, CA 90045
Office: (310) 670-6944
Office Hours:
Monday – Friday: 7am-4pm
ADA Notice: 
We do our utmost to meet the American with Disabilities compliance standards and continue to update our website to make it acceptable to all. This includes the use of large fonts in various areas, labeling certain items, incorporating contrasting colors and other measures to make our website user-friendly.