Laser, as a new technology in dentistry, has got the public’s close attention. The optical fiber of laser is so flexible and slender that it can get access to the bottom of periodontal pocket and any place in the oral cavity.

Periodontal disease is a big oral health problem to people. 80% of adults over the age of 35 are threatened by the disease. In less severe case, patient’s gums will retract and become sick. In severe case, patient will have shaking teeth that prevent them from eating.

Conventionally, there are 3 common treatments for periodontal disease:

1. Dental cleaning, whose scientific name is dental calculus scaling. In this treatment, ultrasonic shockwaves are used to disrupt and remove the dental calculus from the surface of teeth. The procedure is very fast, but it cannot eliminate the calculus thoroughly, especially those in the deep periodontal pockets.

2. Root planing. In this therapy, dentists will place the periodontal curette into the periodontal pocket, and scrape the root surface back and force while they feel a bump (calculus on the root surface) tactually to remove the calculus. Though it can clear away calculus thoroughly but it can not remove the inflamed tissues around the teeth. Moreover, the patient feels more pain and it requires the doctor to be very skillful.

3. Periodontal flap surgery, a procedure under local anesthesia in which the gums are separated from the teeth and folded back to allow the dentist to remove the unhealthy periodontal tissues (granulation tissue, lesional bone, etc.) in the exposed alveolar bone. In severe cases, bone grafting and regeneration membrane are required for the regeneration of periodontal tissues. It can completely fix the diseased tissues, which is the main strength, but it is seldom accepted by patients due to the expected postoperative pain and swelling, besides the high cost and the high requirement for the doctor's skill.

Dental laser has gone through changes in recent years, and it has been seen in clinical use more and more frequently. Dentists can use this technology to help patients overcome the threat of periodontal disease after special training. Below are three commonly used dental lasers to treat periodontal disease:

1. Diode laser, an optical-fiber-conducted laser. it can get access to the periodontal pocket to eliminate bacteria with laser heat. Though the cost is low, the thermal effect of high temperature can cause periodontal tissue necrosis.

2. Erbium:YAG Laser, a high-energy laser. Under the low-power output, it can go deep into the periodontal pocket to vaporize and peel off the inflamed tissue and calculus. Moreover, it has a water spray cooling device to lessen the heat damage.

3. Photodynamic laser. With low output power and special wavelength of 660nm, it can perfectly sterilize some specific periodontal disease bacteria. Causing low trauma, no wound and being safe are its advantages; while the shortcoming could be that it only works for local, non-severe periodontal disease, and it has limited efficacy to severe periodontal disease.

All in all, as the medical science and technology continue to progress, new equipment will be adopted to the conventional dental treatment to improve medical care and to offer dentists and patients more choices. After all, pursuing a better quality of life is everyone's pursuit.

Please feel free to contact me if there’s any dental problem (WeChat ID: aiyuan325180).