Laser-assisted periodontal therapy
Not every pocket needs a scalpel. Where a laser will do the work, the appointment and the recovery both look different.
What it is
An FDA-cleared alternative to traditional gum surgery. The laser is used to treat the diseased tissue lining a periodontal pocket, and leaves the healthy gum either side of it alone.
Because it is selective, many cases are treated without a scalpel and without sutures.
It is one option among several rather than a replacement for all of them. Which is right depends on what the evaluation found.
Who it is for
People with periodontal pocketing that has not resolved with non-surgical treatment, where the tissue involved suits a laser approach.
People who would find conventional surgery difficult, for medical reasons or because of anxiety about it.
It is not right for every pocket or every patient, and you will be told plainly if it is not right for yours.
Recovery
Less bleeding, swelling and sensitivity than conventional surgery, and a shorter recovery. That is the practice's own comparison, and it is the reason the option exists.
You will still be given aftercare on the day, and the maintenance that follows matters exactly as much as it does after any other periodontal treatment.
Cost and insurance
Cost depends on how many sites are treated. You will have the figure for your own plan before anything is booked.
Our insurance coordinator works through what your plan covers.
The laser treats the diseased lining of a pocket and leaves the healthy gum either side of it alone. That selectivity is the whole point of it.
Questions we are asked
Open any of them. If yours is not here, the front desk will answer it on the phone.
01Is laser treatment FDA approved?
The laser holds FDA 510(k) clearance. Clearance and approval are different regulatory pathways and the FDA treats them as materially different, so this page says cleared.
02Does it replace conventional gum surgery?
No. It is an alternative for cases that suit it. Deeper or more complex disease may still need conventional surgical treatment, and you will be told which applies to you.
03Will I need stitches?
In many cases no scalpel and no sutures are needed. Whether that is true for your case depends on what is being treated.
04How is it different for recovery?
The practice finds less bleeding, swelling and sensitivity than after conventional surgery, and a shorter recovery. You will still be given specific aftercare for your own case.
Not sure this is what you need?
Most people are not, on the first call. Book a comprehensive evaluation and we will tell you what we find, and what it would take to put right.