Lasers in Periodontics

Periodontitis is disease characterized by inflammation of gingiva that results in periodontal pocket formation with loss of the supporting periodontal ligament and alveolar bone around teeth. Periodontal treatment includes conventional methods such as scaling and root planing, periodontal surgery with or without osseous surgery and new approaches such as root conditioning agents, guided tissue regeneration, the use of different grafting materials and their combination. Surgical procedure have been directed towards the elimination and or regeneration of the defects caused by the disease, but these procedure are time consuming and painful for the patients. To overcome the disadvantages of conventional scalpel methods, lasers have been introduced that can cut, ablate and reshape the oral soft tissue more easily, with no or minimal bleeding and minimal pain. The word LASER is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.