Periodontal Disease Treatment

Low Level Laser Therapy Provides New Treatment Possibilities

Gum disease occurs as a result of the bodys inflammatory response to bacteria around the teeth. Bacteria cause a body reaction that breaks down the fibers that connect the tooth to the bone. If gum disease is left untreated the supporting bone is eventually destroyed and teeth become loose and painful. At the early and middle stages of this process, periodontal disease is not painful.

Lasers can be used to remove inflamed tissues around teeth and create healthy gums.

Want a more detailed explanation read on

Laser Therapy is the application of laser light over injuries and lesions to stimulate healing within those tissues. The term laser is an acronym light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Laser light is different from normal ambient because due to the process of production it is a) monochromatic (all the same wavelength), and b) coherent (all the waves peak at the same time or are phased) and hence resists scattering.

Lasers are best known for their ability to cut, and have been recognized in the medical field for their use in surgical procedures. Cutting (surgical) lasers usually use wavelengths in excess of 1200 nanometers (nm) and are used for very short periods (nanoseconds) of time. However, the laser light used in therapy is of a much lower power and also usually of a different wavelength. Laser therapy is sometimes referred to as cold laser or low level laser therapy. Unlike ultrasound, the laser does not heat the tissues, thus the term cold laser. Laser therapy usually uses light in the 400-1200 nm range. This light is in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum.

How Does Laser Therapy Work?

Laser irradiation of tissue cultures has shown that units of light energy (photons) are absorbed by chromophones (enzymes which react to light) within the cell. The best-known example of a chromophone is chlorophyll, which is the light absorbing pigment of plant cells. Visible red light is absorbed within the mitochondria, and the infrared light is absorbed at the cell membrane, possibly by the proteins which make up the gateways controlling the entry and exit of ions. Addition of energy state of the molecules and alter their shape, thus influencing the flow of ions into and out the cell.

In a mammalian cell the light absorbed by cytochromes and porphyrins within the mitochondria of the cell is used to produce singlet oxygen. Singlet oxygen is a very potent messenger and activator of enzymes within the cell. There are mechanisms in place that limit the singlet oxygen production so there is not excess. The result is a photon gradient across the cell membrane and across the membrane of the mitochondria. This results in a change in membrane permeability, increased ATP levels and increased DNA production.

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