Periodontal Disease

Our Scottsdale holistic dental practice offers the most advanced solutions for periodontal and gum disease.  We are the holistic dentistry practice of choice for advanced laser periodontal disease treatment.   Our offices are conveniently located near Paradise Valley and Phoenix.

Dr. Meyer founded Ameridontics; The Center for the Laser Treatment of Gum Disease in 2006.

Dr. Meyer is a certified LANAP trainer for: The Institute for Advanced Laser Dentistry. He achieved this recognition in November 2005.  Dr. Meyer is the first dentist in Arizona to acquire this technology. Dr. Meyer’s holistic dental practice was the first to offer this procedure in 1999.
Gum Disease affects almost half of the adult population in the US. It has now been implicated in a whole host of disease such as; coronary artery disease, stroke, diabetes, and many more. One of the markers for heart disease is a substance found in our blood known as C-Reactive Protein (CRP). CRP is created in the liver to fight inflammation; which has been shown to be a predictor for heart disease (it causes blood clots). Periodontal disease is a persistent inflammatory disease it can significantly elevate CRP.  Successful periodontal treatment can lower it and the risk of heart attack more than statin drugs. If the CRP reading is over 10; or,  if it does not decrease with periodontal treatment it could indicate another systemic infection which should be followed up by your doctor.

(NO CUT – NO STITCH) Laser Gum Treatment or LASER ANAP (Assisted New Attachment Procedure): This is a new innovative procedure for the treatment of periodontal (gum) disease. If verified that you are a candidate for this therapy it is generally quite comfortable compared to the traditional cut and suture procedure. The areas of the mouth are anesthetized with a local anesthetic. 1) Periodontal probe indicates excessive pocket depth. 2) Then a small fiber optic cable housing the laser is directed to you gum tissues. Laser radiation removes sulcular debris and diseased tissue and pathologic proteins. Tactile feedback from the fiber alerts the practitioner to the presence of root roughness. 3) Next a combination of ultrasonic scalers with irrigants and hand instruments are used to cleanse the root surface of accretions. 4) Once verified clean, the laser is used once again to finish debriding, sterilize the pocket and cause a coagulum to form. It is this coagulum that heals and becomes a new attachment from the bone to the tooth. 5) Then the gum tissues are compressed with finger pressure, against the tooth and a stable fibrin clot forms at the gingival crest. And lastly, 6) Occlusal trauma is adjusted to redirect untoward forces along the long axis of the tooth with a high speed hand piece and diamond bur.
The following diagram will help show how this is accomplished.

There are situations that comprehensive coordinated Laser ANAP and bite therapy must be used to stabilize the occlusal forces. If the forces are not mitigated, the damaging forces remain and the treatment will have a shorter beneficial effect. Click on the link below for a live demonstration.

http://www.milldental.com/millennium/webvideo/LaserPeriodontal.html

The following pictures show the stages of destruction of the bony supporting structure of the teeth. Although they are schematic in nature, the process is very accurate.

For additional information please call the office for an appointment 1-480-948-0560