Do you have gum disease? Have you been told that you need to consider treatment options beyond implementing a regular brushing and flossing routine? If so, you might want to consider laser therapy for your gums. Gum Disease and Its CausesAlthough many people have heard of gum disease, not that many know very much about it. Gum disease is an inflammation of the gum tissue, caused by excessive exposure to the bacteria in your mouth. These tiny organisms produce plaque, which in turn can irritate the gum tissue and cause gum disease. Of course, the best way to treat gum disease is to prevent it altogether. To this end, regular brushing (at least twice each day) and flossing (at least once each day) are absolutely vital, along with professional cleaning every six months. But if you have already developed gum disease, the good news is that there are options to treat it. Treating Gum Disease with Laser TherapyA relatively new development in the gum disease treatment area is using lasers to treat the condition. In contrast to more traditional methods of treatment such as scaling and planing, the use of lasers means that the infected gum tissue is actually eliminated. Here's how the process works: a dentist uses a specialized laser to trim away the infected gum tissue. Then, the (usually) hidden part of the tooth is cleaned to remove deposits of bacteria and plaque. Following this, any rough spots on the tooth—which would usually provide hiding places for bacteria—are smoothed out. Then the gum tissue is allowed to heal back against the clean tooth surface. If you have any questions about using laser therapy on your gum tissue, please contact us. We are happy to talk with you and answer any questions you may have on the matter.