Zapping Gum Problems

Seeing as it is summer and most of the movies at Celebration Cinema feature lasers blasting aliens, you may think that’s all lasers are good for. Or they’re only helpful for hitting your yardages on your rangefinder when sneaking in a quick nine at Pleasant Hills.

But not to Dr. Egger — he uses his trusty diode laser for battling enemies of your dental health.

What is the diode laser?

You probably didn’t know this, but the word laser is actually an acronym. It stands for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Different lasers are categorized by the wavelength of the energy they produce. Sometimes, particularly in the aesthetic industry, lasers have brand names and that can be confusing.

For dental uses, Dr. Egger uses the diode laser, whose wavelength is ideally suited for soft tissue procedures since it is highly absorbed by hemoglobin and melanin. This gives the diode laser the ability to precisely cut, coagulate, ablate, or vaporize targeted soft tissue.

Where do we use diode laser?

When your gums become inflamed or infected, tissue needs to be trimmed back. Basically, the infected tissue needs to be removed. This is called a gingivectomy.

A gingivectomy removes and reshapes loose, diseased gum tissue to get rid of the pockets that have formed between the teeth and the gums. Instead of a scalpel, Dr. Egger often uses the laser to remove any loose tissue, while simultaneously causing hemostasis (stopping the flow of blood). The laser eliminates the former problems of unruly soft tissue and blood when performing a gingivectomy.

Root planing and scaling are done when the gums have either started to pull away from the teeth or the roots of the teeth have hard mineral deposits, tartar, on them. Root planing and scaling cleans between the gums and the teeth down to the roots.

While this was formerly done with dental picks, now Dr. Egger performs these procedures with a diode laser, as well. In root planing and scaling, the laser not only makes for easier recovery for our patients, but also reduces bacteria normally involved in the procedure. This makes the procedure safer and more comfortable.

Want to learn more about how Dr. Egger uses lasers to zap the enemies of your dental well being? Call us at (989) 773-3560. Remember, we’re closed on Fridays in the summer.