Laser Treatments

Treat Gum Disease with Periodontal Laser Therapy

Periodontal or gum disease happens when bacteria gets below the gum line and the attachment between gum and tooth is lost. Three out of four Americans have some form of periodontal disease and only 3 out of 100 will ever be treated before it is too late.

Gum disease is a silent, chronic, painless, and communicable bacterial infection that often goes undetected or ignored until severe gum and bone destruction causes unbearable pain and can no longer be ignored. Left untreated, gum disease can cause bone and tooth loss.

The latest conservative gum therapy uses a laser. The laser gently disinfects and evaporates diseased tissues from around the tooth and inside the gum pocket. This treatment interrupts the bacterial destruction of the tissues and bone, giving the gum tissue an opportunity to heal. Systematic repetition of treatment, generally 2 to 6 visits, allow the gums to be disease-free. Sometimes tissue is able to reattach to the teeth and the pocket may return to a normal, or near-normal, depth. Laser therapy is gentle, less painful, and has a much quicker recovery than traditional treatments. While surgery is still an option for severely advanced periodontal cases, laser therapy is a much more conservative, effective, and comfortable option for beginning to moderate periodontal cases.

Treat Blisters and Blemishes with Laser Resurfacing

Fever blisters (or cold sores) are one of the most common disorders of the mouth, and they happen to millions of people every year. These lip blemishes can appear when you least expect them, and they spread all too easily. They hurt, can burst and get oozy, and leave you with an unsightly scab for a couple weeks.

But you don’t have to put up with these sores. At Maplewood Laser Dental Clinic, Dr. Guess can provide the treatments you need to remove those blemishes and speed the healing process.

What are Fever Blisters?

Fever blisters are recognized by the red, swollen areas around the mouths. They can be very sore and painful, and if they break open, they will leak a clear liquid before scabbing over. They can also take up to two weeks to heal completely.

These sores are the result of the HSV virus, which enters the body and waits for an opportunity to erupt through the skin. This virus can be spread by touching the cold sore or by touching liquid (saliva) that is infected. In fact, simply rubbing the blister and then touching someone else can spread the virus.

Unfortunately, there is no way to get rid of the virus, which is why cold sores can often come back. Too much sun, too much stress, colds and the flu and a range of other things can cause blisters to flare up again.

Treating the Problem

We can use lasers to treat these sores before or after they erupt. So even if you start feeling a cold sore coming on, contact us as quickly as possible and we’ll be able to treat it before it starts to ooze. This means there is less chance for the virus to spread and get worse.

If it has erupted, it will go away on its own within a few days (after all the leaking and scabbing), but if you don’t want to deal with that, our treatment will help it dry faster and heal better.

Our state-of-the-art technology is far more effective than any over-the-counter ointments and creams, and it is a fast, affordable way to get rid of those blisters and alleviate the pain at an affordable price.

Before & Afters:

Tongue ties occur when the band of tissue that connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth is abnormally short, tight, or thick, resulting in restricted movement of the tongue. Lip ties are a similar condition involving the band of tissue that connects the upper lip to the gum.

Tongue tie and lip tie often occur together and, due to their restriction of the tongue and/or lip, typically become evident when an infant experiences difficulty with breastfeeding. Laser tongue tie or lip tie release performed by Dr. Guess can improve your baby’s efficiency in breastfeeding and allow for a less painful nursing experience for the mother.

As an accredited laser dentistry surgeon, Dr. Guess utilizes a state-of-the-art soft tissue CO2 laser in this highly precise procedure which essentially vaporizes the affected tissue rather than cutting the frenulum with a steel scalpel. The specialized laser will be used to make a tiny incision, thereby releasing the tension. The laser sterilizes the area (which results in less risk of infection) and stimulates healing through bio-regeneration. Laser energy seals the blood vessels so there is very little or no bleeding. The entire tongue tie/lip tie laser surgery procedure typically takes only a few minutes.

General Benefits of Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Laser Surgery

• Breathing
• Chewing
• Digestion/reflux
• Swallowing
• Decreased chance of lisp or speech impediment
• Tooth (bite) relationship
• Smile
• Development of maxillary sinuses,which reduced sleep and allergy issues
• Proper skull growth

Breastfeeding Benefits from Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Laser Surgery

Studies using ultrasound have found that babies who are tongue-tied use different, less effective movements while nursing than babies who are not tongue-tied. The tongue-tied motions can also be the cause of significant pain and damage to the mother’s nipple. Tongue tie and lip tie laser surgery can:

• Enhance your baby’s ability to nurse
• Help alleviate breast pain during nursing
• Result in more successful breastfeeding
• Allow adequate stimulation to promote milk production
• Reduce discouragement while encouraging a positive mother/baby bonding experience
• Ensure that your baby is receiving adequate amounts of milk for proper growth
• Decrease the risk of breast infections
• Alleviate reflux, gassiness, and colic in your baby
• Lessen the frequency of nursing due to baby’s ability to be satisfied at each feeding

Dental Benefits of Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Laser Surgery

Laser surgery for tongue tie and lip tie can reduce the risk of future dental problems, such as: 

• A gap between your child’s upper two front teeth (maxillary midline diastema)
• Early childhood caries- some lip ties can cause residual milk to pool under your babies lip, resulting in decay of newly erupting teeth.
• Tooth loss- tongue tie or lip tie that attach too closely to the gums can pull the gums away from the teeth. 
• Poor palatal development

What to Expect after Tongue Tie/Lip Tie Laser Surgery

Tongue tie and lip tie laser surgery is a relatively simple, quick, and painless procedure. Your baby can nurse as soon as they desire to do so after the surgery.

Most babies show an immediate improvement in breastfeeding, although you should not be alarmed if your baby is hesitant the first day while they learn a new breastfeeding technique. Some parents follow up with a lactation consultant for advice on the new nursing method.

Postoperative stretching will aid in preventing reattachment of the frenulum, as the mouth heals very quickly. Age-appropriate stretching exercises will enhance your child’s speedy recovery from tongue tie or lip tie laser surgery. The postoperative stretches are simplistic and can be incorporated into a play session. Early intervention is key in many cases, especially if nursing difficulties exist.

Before & Afters: