I read with interest the December JADA article by Dr. Cenck Canakçi and Dr. Varol Canakçi, "Pain Experienced by Patients Undergoing Different Periodontal Therapies (
JADA 2007;138[12]:1563–1573[Abstract/Free Full Text]
). Having many years of clinical experience, I found myself in agreement with their assessment of levels of postoperative pain and postoperative dentin hypersensitivity.
The last sentence of their conclusion is perhaps most insightful and relevant to the future of periodontal therapy: "It will be important to interpret the findings of our study in comparison with those from other studies of periodontal pain linked with therapeutic methods such as laser surgery."
After nearly two years’ experience using the Millennium PerioLase laser (Millennium Dental Technologies, Cerritos, Calif.), my long-term chairside assistant and I recognize that there is less postoperative pain and postoperative dentin hypersentivity after laser surgery than after scaling and root planing and considerably less pain than after gingivectomy or modified Widman flap surgery.
Frequently, patients report no discomfort, and those who have been treated at different times with scalpel and with laser report much less postoperative pain subsequent to laser surgery.
