As a dentist, I’m more concerned than ever before about the gum disease epidemic. I’m reading a lot of research that is now showing how gum disease causes heart attacks, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and hypertension. The “jury is in” and I cannot ignore this information. In today’s post, we’ll talk about the warning signs of gum disease, what can happen if gum disease isn’t treated, and benefits of the LANAP laser regenerative gum disease treatment.
Do you have gum disease?
Proper brushing and flossing, eating a diet low in inflammatory foods, and regular dental checkups can all help reduce your gum disease risk. However, there are a few warning signs you should watch out for:
- Bleeding, tender, or swollen gums
- “Pink in the sink” – i.e. – blood in the sink after brushing and/or flossing
- Chronic bad breath
- Teeth that feel slightly loose in their sockets
- Teeth that look longer than usual — a common sign of gum recession
If you see any of these signs, contact your dentist for a gum disease evaluation. The earlier gum disease is diagnosed, the more treatment options available to you.
The dangers of untreated gum disease
When gum disease isn’t promptly treated the health effects can be serious and sometimes irreversible.
The direct effects on your dental health include:
- Tooth decay and possible tooth loss
- Abscesses and infections
- Loss of healthy jaw bone tissue
Beyond your dental health, gum disease can increase your risk of:
- Heart disease
- Heart attacks
- Hypertension
- Diabetic complications
Untreated gum disease is like a negative feedback loop for your health. Left untreated, your gum health continues to degrade which affects the rest of your body, leading to stress on the immune system which makes your gum disease worse.
Why is gum disease often ignored?
Many traditional dentists only offer invasive gum disease surgery to their patients. As experienced holistic dentists Drs. Kelly Blodgett and Bryan Neish are able to help you take control of your health without painful surgical procedures. Dr. Blodgett was the first dentist in Portland licensed to perform LANAP laser gum disease therapy. Over the years, our doctors have helped hundreds of people reverse gum disease and take control of their health.
If you’ve been diagnosed with gum disease and told that surgery is your only option, get a second opinion. You owe it to yourself and your health to learn about LANAP laser gum disease treatment. Keep reading to learn more about how it can help you!
1. Fast healing
When evaluating treatments for gum disease, you may be worried about disruption to your life. Highly invasive surgical procedures may take days or even weeks to fully recover from — and often require more than just one treatment.
With LANAP, there’s no stitches and no scalpel. Most patients take less than a day to recover and require only over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications such as Advil to manage their inflammation.
2. Minimally-Invasive
Part of the reason why patients heal so quickly following the LANAP procedure is the truly minimally-invasive nature of the treatment. By using a precise and high-tech laser instead of a metal scalpel, Drs. Kelly Blodgett and Bryan Neish can be much more precise in their treatment of your gum disease. The laser also works to reduce bleeding during and after treatment.
3. Reduces Inflammation
One of the other benefits of a minimally-invasive procedure like LANAP is that it helps reduce inflammation in your body. When subjected to illness, injury, or even medical treatment like invasive surgery, your body responds with an inflammatory response.
As part of this response, damaged cells may release histamines, causing pain, redness, and swelling. In addition, your immune system will kick into gear, placing additional stress on your body and making you more susceptible to additional illness and disease.
Because LANAP is a minimally invasive procedure the inflammatory and immune response is much less significant which helps you to heal faster and reduce the side effects of elevated stress on your body.
4. Minimizes Risk of Infection
Bacterial infection is a known complication of all surgical procedures. When bacteria are allowed access to your bloodstream through a cut or incision during surgery, there’s a chance that they can take hold and multiply. The laser used in LANAP helps minimize the chance of a bacterial infection. This makes it a great choice for those worried about their immune system.
5. Restores Healthy Tissue
The scalpel used in traditional gum disease surgery is very imprecise. When removing diseased gum tissue, some healthy tissue is cut away as well. It simply isn’t possible to avoid removing healthy tissue when a scalpel is used.
The laser used in LANAP, by comparison, is extremely precise. It is specially designed to target only diseased gum tissue and avoids removing or damaging healthy tissue. In fact, it does more than that! The laser promotes additional blood flow to healthy gum tissue, allowing your body to heal and repair itself. In other words, laser gum disease therapy helps healthy gum tissue to grow. Talk about incredible!
6. Prevents Gum Recession
Advanced gum disease can result in gum recession. This is when gum tissue pulls away from the base of the teeth and retracts. This causes:
- Increased tooth sensitivity
- Tooth decay and possible tooth loss
- Teeth that appear longer than normal
Because traditional gum disease surgery removes healthy gum tissue, gum recession is unavoidable. The treatment often leads to more problems down the road!
But LANAP minimizes gum recession because it helps your gums to grow back stronger and healthier than they were before. It really is amazing!
7. Improves your appearance
Part of feeling good is being confident in your appearance. Swollen and bleeding can make you feel self-conscious about your smile. In as little as one treatment, LANAP can help improve both the health and appearance of your gums. You’ll not only feel better, you’ll look better, too.
Get a smile you want to show off with LANAP!
Schedule your LANAP consultation
Contact Blodgett Dental Care for a gum disease evaluation and holistic dental checkup. You’ll learn more about how to care for your teeth and gums and see for yourself how LANAP can help you.