Grand Rapids Laser Soft Tissue Re-Contouring
Two of the uses of dental lasers are:
To remove infected gum tissue AND To reshape the gums
Laser Gum Treatment
Gum disease is infection in the gums and jawbones. If you’re suffering from gum disease, you may notice pain, changes in gum color, swelling of the gum tissue, and teeth becoming loose. But gum disease can also be silent and unnoticed in its early stages.
Gum tissue should fit snugly around teeth to help hold the teeth in place and help block bacteria from the tooth roots. But if flossing is not done regularly, gums can become sensitive, reddened, and sore. When bacteria are allowed to remain undisturbed on the teeth, they’ll eventually work their way below the gumline and cause decay on the tooth roots. They’ll also cause inflammation in the gum tissue and pockets where gum tissue pulls away from the teeth. Healthy gums, on the other hand, are a soft pink color and closely frame the teeth.
Advantages of Laser Treatment
The dental laser has turned out to be an excellent alternative to traditional gum surgery.
- It requires no stitches
- It causes little or no bleeding
- It sterilizes the treated area
- It removes only infected gum tissue, leaving healthy tissue intact
- It kills bacteria in the pocket surrounding the tooth
Reshaping The Gums
If you feel that your gums are too prominent when you smile, there’s a way of changing that. A “gummy smile” is not necessarily a matter of teeth that are too small, but of excess gum tissue. The procedure to correct this, or to correct imbalance in amounts of gum tissue, is known as a cosmetic gum lift.
Dr. Mulder can use the safe and painless laser technology to symmetrically reshape your gums so they frame your teeth evenly. Tiny amounts of gum tissue can be easily removed to sculpt a whole new smile.
This procedure has all the advantages listed above for laser treatment of gum disease. Healthy gum tissue is targeted in a reshaping procedure, rather than any decayed tissue. But the laser works the same way, sterilizing the gums, killing all bacteria, causing little or no bleeding and requiring no stitches afterwards.
Laser Soft Tissue Recontouring FAQ
Dr. Mulder applies the precise energy of the laser light onto areas of excess gum tissue. He uses a laser wavelength tailored for gum tissue, as opposed to tooth enamel, for instance. Different body tissues absorb different wavelengths and reflect other wavelengths. The laser instantly vaporizes unwanted gum tissue, leaving all other tissue intact. A topical anesthetic is used and healing afterwards is very fast and easy.
The laser offers many benefits including:
- A faster procedure
- Little to no bleeding
- Less swelling
- Less discomfort
- Quicker healing
- Complete sterility in the treated area
- No need for stitches
Many patients feel much more at ease knowing that a laser, as opposed to a drill, is being used.
A topical anesthetic will be used if you prefer. Many people report feeling no pain during the procedure, and very little if any discomfort during the short healing process. The laser is also silent and fast. If you suffer from intense dental anxiety at the prospect of any dental procedure, you could opt for conscious sedation.
Talk to Grand Rapids laser dentist Dr. Jerry Mulder about safe gum recontouring. Call us at 616.458.0631 or email us today for your smile evaluation.