You’d be worried if your fingernails bled each time you washed your hands, right? Your mouth is no different. Bleeding gums indicate the presence of gum disease, yet many individuals find it normal for their gums to bleed while they floss and brush. Since it begins as a quiet and painless condition, a large percentage of individuals who have gum disease are unaware of it. As gum disease progresses, it links to other diseases, certain cancers, and bone loss. If left unchecked and untreated, gum disease can take seven years—nearly a decade—off your life.
Brushing and flossing can help reverse gingivitis, the first stage of gum disease, by removing plaque and bacterial growth. However, the following three stages of gum disease—slight, moderate, and advanced periodontitis—are much more severe. Simply brushing and flossing cannot reverse these stages, and they need special attention from a periodontist.
In the later periodontitis stages, food and plaque are trapped in pockets below the gum line where flossing and brushing cannot reach. The infected pockets can house millions of pathogenic bacteria and parasites that eat away at the bone. If left alone, the bacteria and parasites invade the adjacent gum tissue, granting them access to the bloodstream. Once the harmful bacteria and parasites enter the bloodstream, they can spread throughout the entire body. In advanced periodontitis, the final stage of gum disease, your chances of bone loss significantly increase.
In order to gently and effectively treat periodontitis, Dr. Nemeth utilizes LANAP (Laser-Assisted New Attachment Procedure) and LAPIP (Laser-Assisted Peri-Implantitis Procedure). Both procedures use the latest laser technology to selectively remove harmful pathogens trapped beneath the gum line, leaving healthy bacteria and tissue fully intact. Once the harmful bacteria and toxins are completely removed, the tissue reattaches to the tooth or dental implant, sealing out debris and bacteria. This creates a healthy environment for bone and other soft tissues to grow back. LANAP and LAPIP are the only procedures cleared by the FDA to regenerate bone around the teeth.
Check out Dr. Nemeth’s YouTube video, which compares the before and after images of two patients who invested in laser surgery after experiencing significant bone loss from gum disease. Dr. Nemeth finds the bone regeneration from both patients’ LANAP and LAPIP surgeries incredibly gratifying!
