Periodontal or gum disease occurs when bacteria decays the tooth below the gum line and the attachment between the gum and tooth is compromised. Three out of four Americans have some form of periodontal disease and only three out of 100 receive treatment in a timely manner.

Gum disease is a silent, chronic, painless, and communicable bacterial infection that often goes undetected or ignored until severe gum and bone destruction has occurred. Left untreated gum disease can cause tooth loss requiring treatment that can be painful and costly.

Modern advances in technology allow dentists to treat gum disease using a specialized laser. The laser gently disinfects and evaporates diseased tissues from around the tooth and inside the gum pocket surrounding the tooth. This treatment reduces and even eliminates the bacterial destruction of the tissues and bones, giving the vital tissue time to heal. Repeated visits of generally two to eight sessions, allow the gum pocket to be disease-free and sometimes allow tissues to reattach to the pocket back to a normal or near-normal depth. This new laser therapy is gentle, less painful and has a quicker recovery than more traditional methods. While surgery may still be required for severely advanced periodontal disease, laser therapy is much more conservative, effective, and comfortable for periodontal problems not requiring surgery.