Powerful Gum Surgery Technology May Mean Better, Affordable Dental Care

By Susan Braden

Laser treatment may be an affordable dental care option in the near future for those affected by gum disease, according to the Ivanhoe Newswire. Up to one in eight people have this disease, according to Ivanhoe’s Dental Health Channel.

Gum Surgery Technology

The new technology may be a more time efficient and cost affordable dental care for this disease than traditional gum surgery. The new technology employs lasers, which can effectively pinpoint and destroy the disease with very little physical cutting into the gums. In fact, the laser operation is quicker than traditional methods to remove this disease, with virtually no recovery time required.

Robert J. Yu, D.M.D., a board certified periodontist, explains how the procedure works, virtually painlessly. "We are taking a little fiber that’s a little thicker than a hair. We’re inserting that below the gum line," he says.

Patient Janis Swiderski says she experienced a quick recovery from her laser treatment. "I had no pain at all, and I went back to work the next day," Swiderski says.

The actual cost of the laser treatment is currently about the same as having traditional gum surgery performed, and this cost will likely go down as the technology becomes more readily available.

Traditionally, the only way to treat gum disease was an invasive surgery in which a dentist would cut your gums open to clean out diseased areas. This traditional operation normally takes multiple visits to the dentist to complete, requiring a long recovery time after each visit. It often takes your gums a week or longer to heal from this form of operation.

Gum disease is a bacterial infection that may be growing within your gums right now, and can lead to major problems if left untreated. Many people do not even know that they have this condition until pain and outward signs are apparent in their mouth. If left untreated, the disease will continue to spread throughout your gums and eventually cause a loss of teeth.

This severe condition should be treated by your dentist as soon as it is detected. If you are currently dealing with gum disease and are seeking an affordable dental care option, you may want to talk to your dentist about laser treatment.