The history of dentistry and gum disease seem to be intertwined all the way back to ancient times. Hippocrates and Aristotle both mentioned Periodontis in their writings. They spoke of ointments that would help sterilize the mouth, and recommended as well a rather painful remedy no longer practiced that involved a red hot wire laid across the gums.
Dentistry and the treatment of gum disease remained very primitive (and also very painful) throughout the Middle Ages on into the 1800s.
While the 1800s saw some significant changes in the practice of dentistry, gum disease treatments still remained barbarous and excruciating for most patients. Dentists would try to prevent Periodontis by cleaning teeth with scrapers, and cavities were treated with odd and painful hand instruments.
As better instruments have been developed in dentistry, gum disease treatment is finally something most patients can not only bear to endure, but actually want to have performed. Over 80% of the population suffers from gingivitis and Periodontis. When left untreated, gum disease can cause all sorts of problems ranging from the mild to the very severe.
Twentieth-century general dentistry typically treated gum disease with several types of surgery. One type of surgery was cutting away the diseased portion of the gum and grafting healthy tissue in its place. Another solution used by general dentistry to treat gum disease is root scaling and planing.
This involves removing bacteria from the surfaces of teeth that touch the interior of the gums. Creating a more healthy tooth surface contributes to the healing of the gums themselves.
Cosmetic dentistry sometimes uses the practice of Gingevectomy to treat gum disease, although typically this is not the best solution to correcting diseased tissue. Gum removal in todays world of dental science serves the more cosmetic benefit of removing excess tissue from around teeth and making them look more proportional in relation to the gum line and to one another.
Probably the best treatment for gum disease in todays world of modern dentistry is laser periodontal therapy, also known as LANAP. LANAP is performed with a sophisticated periondontal laser. This is probably the least painful treatment for Periodontis ever developed.
The periondontal laser emits a concentrated infrared beam which cuts away disease tissue and sterilizes the gums in the process. The dentist uses an ultrasonic scaler to remove root surface tartar. Very unique hand held instruments are then used to remove root surface tartar.
While the basic techniques of scaling and planing are still used, the use of more specialized instruments, combined with the new technology of the a laser, makes this one of the least invasive and sterile of all gum disease treatments in dentistry. The minimization of discomfort also makes it highly unlikely that the patient will need to have pain medication prescribed.
Little if any pain medicine is needed after LANAP has been performed. What few patients do feel the need for pain medication can almost always use over the counter products to this end.
Most dentists specializes in dentistry that both looks good and feels good to the patient. It is for this reason dentists recommend and practice the LANAP procedure for gum disease treatment to both eliminate infected portions of the gums and preserve as much healthy oral tissue as possible.
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