Laser Treatment for Gum Disease (Page 1 of 2)

As a retired veterinarian, Dr. Jim Davis knew about the perils of periodontal (gum) disease and the painful surgery to treat it in his four-legged patients.<BR/><BR/> So he wasn't too thrilled when Huntsville periodontist Dr. Paul Weeks recommended periodontal surgery last year.<BR/><BR/> "I had done lots of gum work on dogs and understand how it (surgery) works," said Davis, also a retired U.S. Army colonel and founder of a defense contractor company, Davis Strategic Innovations (DSI). "I was very reluctant to have it done because you remove a lot of the gum and my wife said I would look like a horse."<BR/><BR/> Not wanting to resemble one of his former patients, Davis put off Weeks' recommendation for surgery. But earlier this year during a visit to Weeks' office, Davis learned about a new technique to treat periodontal disease - Laser Assisted New Attachment Program (LANAP) developed by Millennium Dental Technologies.<BR/><BR/> It is used to remove diseased tissue without cutting or stitching of the gums. It is recommended by the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) and the only FDA-approved laser therapy for periodontal surgery.<BR/><BR/> "I researched it and it sounded good except for having to be on a liquid diet for a month," said Davis, who had the laser surgery performed in February. "So far, it's doing real well and I can tell my gums aren't as inflamed. But it will be a year before we know for certain whether it worked."<BR/><BR/> Weeks, who has been in practice here for three decades, is believed to be the only local periodontist using the new laser surgery. The technology has been around for about 15 years, but only recently perfected to where Weeks will recommend it to some of his patients.<BR/><BR/> "Right now, I'm just picking and choosing which patients I recommend for it," said Weeks, who also uses the conventional, albeit more painful, method of removing parts of gum tissue in his patients. "Some are not a candidate (for laser surgery). We will not really know the results for a year or so, and I hesitate to recommend something that I'm not completely certain will work. But so far it seems to be going well."<BR/><BR/> After hearing other periodontists he respected talk about the success they were having with the laser procedure, Weeks researched it and decided to take the plunge. He spent three days training at the University of Colorado at Denver under Dr. Ray Yukna who has perfected the laser technique. Weeks has performed the laser surgery on "about two dozen" patients in the past six months, including Davis. Weeks believes laser surgery will eventually be the only method of treatment for periodontal disease, but probably not anytime soon.<BR/><BR/> The U.S. Surgeon General says the condition affects 85 percent of American adults 18 and older, and moderate to severe forms of gum disease affects 75 percent of the adult population.<BR/><BR/> Laser technology isn't cheap. One laser tool cost Weeks $160,000, plus $10,000 for a one-year warranty. It is also more tedious than the conventional surgery, so the procedure costs a little more and varies with each patient.