What is Gingivectomy?
Gingivectomy is a dental procedure where the dental surgeon scoops or cuts away some parts of the gums in the mouth which is also referred to as the gingiva and hence the name of the process gingivectomy.
Gingivectomy helps in the removal of the excess gingival tissue that covers the teeth surfaces making brushing difficult for the patient. The procedure provides the required visibility and accessibility so that calculus can be completely removed and an overall smoothening of the roots can be done. This, in turn, creates an optimum environment for the healing of the gingiva and a proper restoration of a physiologic gingival contour.
Reasons Why Gingivectomy Might be Required
There are a number of reasons as to why the dentists might suggest gingivectomy but some of the major reasons why this procedure is suggested are as mentioned below.
Techniques Used for Gingivectomy
The common techniques that are used for the conduction of the procedure of gingivectomy are as follows.
Among the techniques that are mentioned above, the laser-assisted gingivectomy is the most preferred technique used in the recent times owing to the number of advantages that it provides.
Laser Assisted Gingivectomy Procedure
Laser-assisted gingivectomy is a dental procedure of recontouring the gingival tissue with the help of a laser for the improvement of long-term dental health or aesthetics. The lasers which are used for this procedure are usually diode lasers. These lasers offer the potential of increased control by the one performing the procedure and at the same time involves minimal damage to the collateral tissue. These diode lasers actually operate at a wavelength which can be easily absorbed the tissues of the mouth or gingiva which reduces the risk of damaging the structure of the tooth. But still, the dentists or the oral surgeons take precautionary measures to make sure that thermal injury is avoided which might be the result of the excessive generation of the heat from the beam of the lasers.
In the gingivectomy technique with the help of laser technology is somewhat different from the procedure of electrosurgery. In this procedure of laser-assisted gingivectomy, the energy remains concentrated at the tip of the fibre and the penetration of the tissue is not so deep which is why the beam of the laser should be oriented along the plane of the incision while the ablation proceeds through the layers.
Advantages of the Technique
Laser-assisted gingivectomy is a technique which has a number of advantages over the other techniques which are as follows.
Thus, it can be very well understood how beneficial laser technology for is performing gingivectomy which is the main reason why it is the most preferred option in the recent times.