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Gallagher and Carter Dental has been featured in several publications in Albuquerque.
E-mail gallagher.charles@hotmail.com to make an appointment for any of the services included in our news coverage below. Posh Magazine Fall/Winter 2008 Creating Life Changing Smiles  The Albuquerque Journal February 29, 2008 Grin and bear it... Laser technique takes the pain away from periodontal surgery Dr. Charles Gallagher wields a laser like a pencil, directing a thin red beam of light into deep bacteria-laden pockets that have formed at the root of Thiel Baca's teeth. "Now I'm going to go down a little deeper," the Albuquerque dentist said as he worked. "Now we'll take the laser and place it down at the very bottom pocket." The thin beam of red laser light could mean the difference between Baca keeping her teeth or losing them. The technique, called laser-assisted new attachment procedure, uses laser light to kill bacteria that live below the gum line. Left untreated, bacteria can destroy bone and connective tissue that holds teeth in place. Laser-assisted therapy also is intended to stimulate bone growth, Gallagher said. The energy of the laser penetrates several millimeters into the bone, killing bacteria that inhibits bone growth, he said. "The goal is to get more bone to grow around the tooth and to get the gums to attach back to the tooth," he said. The 21st-century technique also could spare Baca from painful surgery that involves peeling back gums so the surgeon can use instruments to remove infected tartar and attach bone grafts. "We're hoping that the laser will get the bones growing and then we won't need surgery," the Los Lunas woman said shortly after undergoing the procedure. Gallagher also used the laser to form a dense blood clot around the tooth to promote reattachment of the gum. The process is largely painless, Baca said. She has experienced little discomfort in the weeks since Gallagher used the technique on 16 of her teeth in January. "It didn't hurt but it was just a lot of tugging," Baca said. "You can feel the pressure but it didn't hurt at all." Gallagher said he is one of the three dentists in Albuquerque, and four in New Mexico, who practices laser-assisted periodontal therapy. Baca is one of an estimated 25 million Americans who suffers from periodontitis, an infection that causes the gums to pull away from the teeth and form infected pockets. If untreated, the condition ultimately can lead to tooth loss. Dentists sometimes treat periodontitis using a technique called scaling and root planing to remove tartar from teeth both above and below the gums. The technique essentially scrapes rough spots from teeth to remove bacteria that live there. Baca said some of her teeth were scaled but stronger treatments were required. "My teeth were starting to move around," she said. Alternatively, a periodontist uses a surgical technique that involves peeling back the gums to remove tarter, then suturing the gums so they fit tightly against the teeth. Most dental insurance companies have a benefit for periodontal treatment. Dr. Gallagher's office will do all the paper work for the treatment to your insurance company. Gallagher said the cost of the procedure varies from $400 to $1,500 per quadrant of the mouth, which includes eight teeth. Gallagher said he became interested in laser-assisted therapy last year because some of his patients simply refused to undergo the painful periosurgery. "They needed the surgery but they just wouldn't do it," Gallagher said. Laser-assisted therapy is less invasive and, in Gallagher's opinion, as effective as surgery. "I'm convinced that it's a replacement and it's just as good." |
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Charles F. Gallagher |
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General & Cosmetic Dentistry |
505.828.2020 |
