Lasers have been in use in medicine and dentistry for many years. The FDA has approved the use of lasers for many dental procedures including those discussed on our website. A laser is a device that uses light energy to perform work. Lasers are unique because they can treat targeted tissue while leaving surrounding tissue unaffected. It is this property among others that allow Dr. Calleros to perform very precise procedures. In addition lasers may seal off blood vessels and nerve endings during a procedure lessening bleeding, postoperative pain and swelling. Owning a laser demonstrates that Dr. Calleros has made a financial and educational investment toward providing the very best care possible. Only a small percentage of dental offices have made this financial and personal investment for the well being and comfort of their patients.
Laser Procedures:
Laser Bacterial Reduction
Inflammation: the secret killer:
In 2004, Time Magazine ran a cover story entitled "The Secret Killer.". It addressed the "surprising link between inflammation and heart attacks, cancer, alzheimers, and other diseases, and what we can do to fight it."
The article reported that simply "flossing your teeth combats gum disease, a source of chronic inflammation."
We were pleased that the media had finally awakened to a problem that we have already identified and begun to aggressively treat. We use not just floss and other personal oral hygiene products but also lasers to kill the bacteria associated with gum disease, inflammation and infection.
Describing "The Fires Within," Time reported that "hardly a week goes by without the publication of yet another study uncovering a new way that chronic inflammation does harm to the body. It destabilizes cholesterol deposits in the coronary arteries, leading to heart attacks and strokes. It chews up nerve cells in the brains of Alzheimer's victims. It may even facilitate the transformation of abnormal cells into cancer.
Chronic inflammation may be the engine tha drives many of the feared iillnesses of middle and old age."
Be assured, we will not allow you to suffer the effects of inadequately treated chronic gum inflammatioin. We are one of the few offices with the means to offer comprehensive therapy.
The mouth/body connection:
The founders of The Mayo Clinic have declared: "A healthy mouth can add years to your life!"
They were referring to a growing body of evidence that has linked serious gum disease, also known as periodontitis, to a number of "systemic diseases that afflict the body. We do not yet understand the exact nature of the connection, but studies emphasize that the benefits of having a healthy mouth go far beyond personal appearance and no cavities.
The possibility that pathology within the mouth can influence systemic disease has been suggested by the U.S. Surgeon General and in numerous investigations exploring the relationship between periodontal disease and coronary heart disease, stroke, pregnancy complications, diabetes and bacterial pneumonia.
What is clear is that treating periodontal disease by eliminating infection and its accompanying inflammation will help:
- Reducte or eliminate Bacteremias
- Reduce or eliminate Cross Contamination
- Kill Potential Periodontal Infections before they cause loss of attachment
- Boost the immune system
- Reduce the severity of other disease processes
- And improve overall health
When compromised by inflammation, the gum tissue that surrounds the teeth is a vast portal of entry for microbes. Even inhaling bacteria and viruses that inhabit periodontal pockets has the potential to trigger infection.
Gum disease and tooth loss are related to deterioration of bone mass. Periodontitis disrupts disease management by diabetics and doubles their likelihood of heart problems and kidney failure. Pregnant women with periodontal infection are at risk of preterm and low birth weight babies.
How does that change oral health?
Oral health care has changed forever. Our recognition of the oral-system disease connection has fundamentally changed our practice of dentistry. Simple "management" of disease is totally unacceptable. Our greater responsibility is to
cure periodontal inflammation and infection
The Journal of the American Dental Association concludes that the traditional treatment model has not worked (The Oral-System Disease Connection." Journal of the American Dental Association October 2006). Witness the prevalence of oral infection today, in spite of conventional approaches to care. Our new design addresses a comprehensive understanding of disease processes that allows us to more definitively focus on your needs with a new arsenal of weapons to fight chronic inflammation.
Oral Medicine:
The link between inflammation of the gums and debilitating or even life-threatening system disease is real.
Our multi-disciplinary approach is often coordinated with primary-care physicians with whom we are eager to work. Together, we understand the physiology of the mouth, share patients with identifiable risk factors, and have the means to address their needs.
In most cases, the therapy provided by Dr. Calleros and her dental hygienists is sufficiently comprehensive to deal with oral inflammation and infection. The sooner treatment is initiated, however, the better we are able to avoid the system consequences of inaction.
This is why we are so passionate about periodontal therapy. More than just a simple cleaning, it is in every way the practice of oral preventive and therapeutic medicine.
Changing the future:
We at Dr. Calleros' dental office use lasers to attack periodontal inflammation at the microscopic level of infection. The power of its focused light destroys otherwise inaccessible bacterial colonies while simultaneously creating an ideal environment for healing. Today, our practice offers our patients the hope of a better tomorrow by providing oral health care in ways that were science fiction only a few years ago.
We are not only cleaning teeth and creating beautiful smiles. With our enlightening therapy, we are doing more than enhancing lifestyle.
- Each time we treat a patient, we are changing their future
- We are prolonging lives and saving life itself.
Laser Assisted Periodontal Therapy
Dr. Calleros has diagnosed you with periodontal disease or gum disease. This is an infection of bone and supporting structures or your teeth. Before 30 years of age, decay is the major reason for tooth loss, and after 30 years of age, gum disease is the major reason for tooth loss. It is estimated that over 80 percent of the adult population has gum disease to one degree or another.
Periodontal bacteria can cause an inflammatory reaction which leads to destruction of the fibers that connect teeth to bone and can create a space that dentists and hygienists call a periodontal pocket. While everyone has some amount of pocketing the normal depths are 1-3 mm. You can keep 3 mm of less pockets clean by yourself with routine brushing, flossing, and rinsing. However in your situation you have pockets that are deeper than 3mm and it is impossible for you to clean and maintain them. As a result you have debris and bacteria living at the bottom of these pockets which has led to chronic gum infection, you may have noticed a bad taste or odor in your mouth at times from these infection. As we age we become more succeptible to periodontal disease. Without treatment your teeth will lose enough support to become loose and painful and will eventually be lost.
Dr. Calleros has recommended a conservative non surgical treatment for your periodontal disease. With proper homecare and your participation, this procedure can often alleviate the problem. Your dentist or hygienist will go around each involved tooth to remove any debris and calcified deposits that are adhering to your teeth in a process called scaling and root planning. A good analogy to this part of the cleaning is like removing barnacles off a pier. Scaling and root planning will remove the mechanical irritants to your gums and supporting bone and also removes a major reservoir of periodontal bacteria.
After removing the tartar and calculus a laser is used to selectively remove diseased or infected tissues lining the pockets around your teeth. At the same time the laser will kill the bacteria that cause your gum disease and promote healing of your gums around your teeth. Some lasers can help increase circulation and collagen formation at the bottom of your periodontal pockets and help revive or rejuvenate attachment. This specialized treatment is usually performed multiple times over a period of a few weeks.
Cold Sore and Canker Sore Treatment
Cold sores can be uncomfortable, unaesthetic, and inconvenient. They generally break out in response to trauma, or whenever physical or psychological stress levels spike.
Once you experience the tell-tale tingling sensation, its only a matter of time before a full-blown sore appears. Then, healing can take as long as two weeks, and quality of life may be significantly compromised. Therefore, it is critical to begin laser treatment before the sore has had a chance to develop.
Catch it in time with laser treatment, and the cold sore will not break out.
What are the benefits of laser in treating cold sores and canker sores?
-Photonic Laser Energy destroys the virus responsible for the sore
-Most of our patients who are treated when the lip starts tingling never develop a sore
-If the sore has already broken out, it will progress no further after treatment.
-Not only will the lip get back to normal more quickly, but it will remain comfortable during the healing.
-Each laser treatment takes just a few minutes
-The laser’s light energy promotes healing through gentle “photo-biostimulation deep within the lip.
-After treatment, sores reoccur with less frequency
-Remember, there is virtually no discomfort during or following laser treatment of cold sores.
Lasers are also used to facilitate healing other oral soft tissue trauma, such as:
Teething
Irritation from orthodontic wires
Denture sores
Extraction sites
Periodontal therapy
Injury
And many other applications