How Does Gum Disease Impact Your Smile?

What do you know about periodontal disease? Without treatment, this widespread oral health concern could lead to major complications, from discomfort to tooth loss. But we can help with laser dentistry! In today’s blog, your Encinitas/San Diego, CA, periodontist talks about how periodontal disease impacts your smile and how we can keep your smile intact with dental lasers.

The Causes of the Disease

The issue starts when the gums become inflamed. Multiple factors could cause this, such as a diet high in sugar and starch and poor brushing and flossing habits. These issues could create plaque buildup that irritates and inflames the gums. The use of tobacco products could be a factor, as could inflammatory illness, the use of certain medications, and a family history of periodontal issues. Without treatment to reverse inflammation, this could allow the tissues to pull away from the teeth and form pockets for harmful disease-causing bacteria to enter, leading to periodontal disease.

The Warning Signs and Complications of Periodontal Disease

How do you know when to see our team for treatment? Be aware of any changes to your gums. For example, if they look redder than normal, feel sore, or if they bleed easily. As the disease increases in severity, you could encounter swelling or even recession that makes teeth appear long. You want to seek treatment because once the issue reaches the periodontitis stage, you could lose your teeth. In fact, this is the number one cause of adult tooth loss. But we can help with laser dentistry!

Treatment with Laser Dentistry

With advanced systems like LANAP and REPAIR with WaterLase, we can help manage gum disease to prevent periodontitis and keep your smile whole. Using a concentrated beam of light calibrated for soft tissues, we can trim away the diseased parts of your tissues, so that healthy tissues can attach to the teeth and reduce the depth of periodontal pockets. Lasers target areas with precision so there is no damage to healthy structures, and they limit the risk of swelling, bleeding, and infection. The procedure takes only one visit and lack of scalpels and sutures means the area heals quickly, you could return to your normal routine in as little as 24 to 48 hours. The procedure also rarely requires anesthesia too!

If you have any questions about how our team can improve your periodontal health with dental lasers, then contact our team today to learn more and schedule your next visit. We want to help you enjoy a full smile and healthy gums!

Talk To Our Team About How We Manage Gum Health

We want to help you enjoy treatment with precision using dental lasers. To schedule your appointment and keep your smile whole, call Dr. Kania in Encinitas, CA, today at 760-642-0711.