My partner, Giovanni Castellucci, and I have been treating periodontal disease in our periodontal practice for over 29 years. Every day, we see an ever increasing amount of requests from our restorative colleagues and patients from Boston, Newton, Framingham, and the surrounding metrowest communities for Laser Periodontal Treatment as an alternative to more conventional surgical modalities. Dental lasers have been around for many years, and, in my opinion, are here to stay. Several laser devices and treatment protocols exist today including LANAP (laser-assisted new attachment procedure) and LPT (Laser Periodontal Therapy) from Millennium Dental Technologies, WPT (Wavelength-optimized Periodontal Therapy) from Lares Dental Research, and LAPT (Laser-Assisted Periodontal Therapy) from other companies such as Biolase, Kavo, and HOYA ConBio – just to name a few. Benefits include virtually pain-free procedures without surgical incisions and stitches, usually minimal or no bleeding, reduction of bacteria levels, shorter treatment times, and faster recovery. Our patients welcome these possibilities.
It is important to consider that every case must be evaluated on its own merits, and not all cases are best treated with dental lasers. Time-tested conventional periodontal therapy including elimination of bony defects by resection or bone regeneration techniques continues to play an active role in our daily practice.
The number of scientific research studies relating to the use of lasers in dentistry continues to expand. Evidence-based protocols for the treatment of gum disease and associated periodontal problems is of paramount importance for our patients.
What has been your experience? Are your patients requesting laser periodontal treatment? Comments are appreciated.
Cary Feuerman, DMD
PERIODONTAL ASSOCIATES
photo credit: Lares Research