How Can Lasers Improve My Orthodontic Treatment?

You may not realize this, but oral health and orthodontic treatments go hand in hand. 

When you have crooked or crowded teeth or a misaligned bite (malocclusion), you’re more vulnerable to developing oral health issues such as cavities, tooth decay, and gum disease. Going through orthodontic treatment corrects your teeth and jaw and lowers your risk for poor oral health. 

On the flip side, if you have poor oral health and regularly struggle with cavities and/or gum disease, the structures of your teeth and gum tissues can be affected, which severely impacts how effective an orthodontic treatment can be.

When oral health has been impacted by a crooked or misaligned smile, getting orthodontic treatment is imperative to protect your teeth and gums. However, you must treat any existing gum disease or decay first.

At Beaches Dentistry in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, our team, led by Nodesh Shyamsunder, BDS, and Jasleen Raina, DDS, offers laser-assisted treatments to restore oral health before undergoing orthodontic treatment. This month’s blog  discusses how gum disease affects orthodontics and how laser treatment can help. 

Why treating gum disease before orthodontics is important 

Orthodontic treatments such as braces and clear aligners move your teeth by applying gentle but constant pressure. Eventually, your jaw adapts to the unrelenting pressure to move, causing your jaw and teeth to assume new positions. 

Since your teeth aren’t attached to your jawbone but rather a malleable membrane structure that lies directly underneath your gum tissues, your teeth, gum, and jaw structures respond well to the conforming nature of orthodontic treatment. 

However, severe gum disease (periodontitis) can affect the health and structure of your teeth, gum tissue, and jawbone. Periodontitis develops when you don’t effectively remove plaque from your teeth. The bacteria from the plaque eventually works its way into your gum and tooth structures and erodes them. If left untreated, periodontitis can cause tooth and jawbone loss. 

Since periodontitis affects your tooth and gum tissue structures so much, undergoing orthodontic treatment would be unproductive. Not only would your treatment timeline be much longer, but your teeth would have no firm structures to hold onto, causing them to return to where they were pre-treatment. 

Address your gum disease with our laser treatments

Laser-assisted treatment for gum disease is a desirable alternative to traditional periodontitis surgery since it’s less drastic and has a quicker recovery time. At Beaches Dentistry, we provide the approach known as the Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure, or LANAP® protocol, which utilizes the LANAP PerioLase® technology. 

LANAP technology precisely destroys the bacteria-infested tissue while leaving healthy tissue intact. It also creates the perfect environment for new bone and tissue to grow, ensuring your oral health is better and stronger. 

Once we’ve effectively treated the gum disease, we proceed with your orthodontic treatment. If you’re prone to developing gum disease, we consider that when creating your treatment plan since some orthodontic options make cleaning out plaque and debris challenging.

Start your orthodontic treatment journey

If crooked or crowded teeth have wreaked havoc on your oral health, consider undergoing orthodontic treatment to keep your teeth and gums healthy. Our team evaluates your oral health and recommends any preliminary procedures like laser-assisted gum disease treatment that you may need to undergo.

To get started, schedule an appointment by calling our office or using our online booking feature today.