In 2004,
Time Magazine ran a cover story entitled "
The Secret Killer.". It addressed the "surprising link between inflammation and heart attacks, cancer, alzheimers, and other diseases, and what we can do to fight it." The article reported that simply "flossing your teeth combats gum disease, a source of chronic inflammation."
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The media had finally awakened to a problem that we have already identified and begun to aggressively treat. In addition to using floss and other personal oral hygiene products, we now use lasers to kill the bacteria associated with gum disease, inflammation and infection.
Laser Bacterial Reduction (LBR) enables us to destroy the bacteria that cause inflammation and periodontal disease. In other words, just by circling the teeth with the laser, we can drastically reduce the harmful bacteria that can compromise our dental and overall health. The application of the laser can take bacterial counts around an inflamed periodontal pocket from billions down to hundreds within seconds.
Downtown Dental uses lasers to attack periodontal inflammation at the microscopic level of infection. The power of its focused light destroys otherwise inaccessible bacterial colonies while simultaneously creating an ideal environment for healing. Today, our practice offers our patients the hope of a better tomorrow by providing oral health care in ways that were science fiction only a few years ago.
We are not only cleaning teeth and creating beautiful smiles: with our progressive dental laser therapy, we are enhancing your lifestyle and hopefully prolonging your life.
Hear one patient's story of Laser Bacteria Reduction (LBR) to treat gum infection.
As far as my dental history goes, I've been pretty lucky. My parents always stressed the importance of taking care of my teeth and took me to the dentist on a regular basis. I never had to have braces and didn't even have a cavity for most of my 30s.
Then, as they say, "go big or go home": at 39, I had my first cavity. I didn't even know I had one until my tooth chipped over dinner. An immediate trip to the dentist revealed I not only had a cavity, but I would need a root canal and then a crown. I made it through both those things and thought it was over. I swore to myself I would do a better at staying on top of things and went on with my life.
From the day the crown was placed, it never felt "right": there was always an element of discomfort and my 24/7 awareness that it felt foreign and weird. After the first year, I started feeling more discomfort. Around year two, I began to notice gum inflammation around the crown. Unfortunately, the dentist who did the crown work had gone out of business, so I had to find a new dentist. Many of my downtown/east Nashville friends had recommended Downtown Dental.
Dr. Clark and his team were amazing from my first patient exam. Turns out I not only had a metal allergy to the original crown, but the deep placement of the crown had created significant gum infection. It wasn't the worst news, but as someone who is highly sensitive to antibiotics and tries to go the natural route whenever possible, I didn't look forward to the treatment that would clear up the infection/irritation. Enter "the laser".
I soon happily learned that dentists can use lasers for a host of incredible treatments: not only for bacterial reduction (in this case, for my gums), but for pain management/anesthesia, fillings, tooth contouring/cleaning, and even cold sores. My three laser treatments were quick, absolutely painless, and best of all, I didn't have to take any antibiotics.
The team at Downtown Dental is warm and wonderful, but even better than that, I'm thankful for a dentist who commits to painless technology as treatment versus standard pharmaceutical medication. Turns out there's a better way to do a lot of things without wreaking havoc on the body...even in dentistry.
-D. Carson, 41: Dickson, TN
