De Ala Dental Care provides teeth scaling and root planing, the traditional gum disease treatment methodology, rather than laser-based periodontal treatments. This may come as a surprise to some patients, as laser periodontal therapy is said to encourage tissue regeneration and more effectively reduce the oral bacteria causing gum disease.
This is because scaling and planing is an established treatment methodology that provides results proven by numerous studies. By understanding what traditional periodontal treatments involve and why they are seen as more effective, you can understand why Dr. De Ala uses this treatment over the newer technology.
What Does the Treatment Entail?
Advanced gum disease, or periodontitis, occurs when oral bacteria produce plaque, which irritates the gums, and that plaque is left to build up and harden into tartar. Tartar is even more destructive, leading to gum recession as the soft tissue deteriorates. If tartar continues to be left on the teeth, the gum tissue—and, eventually, the jaw bone tissue—can erode to the point that teeth fall out of the smile, among other health issues.
Teeth scaling is the process of carefully removing built-up plaque and tartar from above and below the gum line, saving your gums from irritation and recession. This scaling is followed by root planing, which is the smoothing of the tooth structure so plaque will have a harder time building up, and the gums can reconnect to the teeth as they heal. These two procedures combined are known as a deep cleaning, or non-surgical periodontal therapy. This series of treatments allows the gums to heal back onto the teeth and stop receding, and in certain cases, the gums can naturally recover some of their original volume.
Why Is This Treatment Considered More Effective?
Scaling and planing has been a trusted dental treatment with observable results for as long as modern dentistry has existed. For these reasons, Dr. De Ala feels that his patients benefit more from the studied and confirmed results of traditional periodontal deep cleanings.
Periodontal laser treatments have some positive effects, but they also have certain limitations. The first of these is that the laser does not remove the tartar directly; traditional scaling is still used as part of the laser periodontal treatment. The second reason is that, even when properly utilized, the only evidence of their effectiveness are the short-term results. Because periodontal lasers have not been around as long as nonsurgical periodontal therapy, they lack the same long-term proof that they are as effective.
Contact Us for Gum Disease Treatments
De Ala Dental Care provides teeth scaling and root planing to patients in the Mission San Jose and Ardenwood neighborhoods of Fremont, Union City, Hayward, and the surrounding communities. For more information, call our practice today!