Laser Gum Surgery
Perhaps one of the most significant advances that gentle dentistry has made is associated with treating gum disease. This condition is so common that most adults will suffer from some form of gum disease in their lifetime. The symptoms typically start with red, swollen, and bleeding gums but if left untreated, it can lead to gum recession. Receding gums are particularly dangerous because more of the tooth and roots will become exposed and open for attack by bacteria. Many people suffer bone and tooth loss as a result. Treating gum disease, therefore, is critical for preserving your teeth as you age. The traditional method of treatment involves pulling the gums away from the tooth and using metal dental tools to scrape off the bacteria, plaque and tartar that has formed on the tooth but underneath the gums. This can be uncomfortable to say the least. Laser dentistry has completely changed the procedure. We offer periodontic care, and our patients can have their gum disease treated by using lasers to break up the plaque and tartar. This will remove the irritant that is causing the gum disease in the first place. Typically, the gums will then return to good health. Since this is a non-invasive procedure, our patients start to feel better right away. Not all dentists in the Houston area offer this new method of treating gum disease, making it important to visit a laser dentistry office.
Laser Teeth Whitening
At Ashley Smile Dental: Winifred Dike, DDS, we can transform your ordinary smile into something truly beautiful. If you are tired of having yellow or stained teeth, you are not alone. In our high tech dental offices, we can perform an in-office whitening treatment with dramatic results. Your teeth can become eight shades whiter or more in a single sitting. The lasers essentially activate the whitening solution that is placed on your teeth. This means that your teeth will whiten much faster than if you treated them at home. While the results are stunning, the procedure is still entirely safe, making it an excellent solution for improving your appearance. You can also whiten your teeth using custom-made whitening trays, and while this works, it can take a week or two to achieve the same results that we can get in an hour. When trying to decide which option to select, consider how much time you have to spend whitening your teeth and whether or not you have an immediate event that you want your teeth whitened for. If you are pressed for time, you should definitely have an in-office laser whitening treatment. We can schedule you and improve your smile in time for a new job interview, family vacation, wedding, etc.
When you visit Ashley Smile Dental: Winifred Dike, DDS, we will work to the best of our ability to provide you with the highest quality of dental care and do so in a way that is relaxing and comfortable. By offering laser dental treatments, we eliminate the vibration, heat and pressure that generally causes discomfort during dental procedures. In fact, we even offer fillings without the need to use a drill. Laser dentistry is used in our office so that we can achieve our goal of keeping you comfortable. The technology is continuing to change and improve so if there are procedures that we are still using traditional dental tools for, we expect all or most of them to eventually be done using lasers. For now, we have implemented the use of lasers in our procedures to place dental veneers, fillings, crowns, dental implants, to whiten teeth, and treat gum disease, among others. If you want to learn more about how we use laser technology currently, call Ashley Smile Dental: Winifred Dike, DDS and schedule an appointment with our dental office.