Dental health issues aren’t just local. They can have numerous other implications for bodily health. It is therefore important for patients with receding gums to seek some form of treatment.
In the following sections, we explore the various options for anyone facing the issue of receding gums as well as for those interested in taking preventative action.
Among these, red light therapy is a relatively new treatment that stimulates the mitochondria underneath the skin to promote healing and better health.
Read on to learn more about this and other treatments for gum disease.
How Oral Health Improves Bodily Health
Doctors and medical researchers now know that oral health is a leading health indicator. Periodontal (gum) disease is linked to heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, pneumonia, osteoporosis, and complications during pregnancy and birth.
It also increases the chances of Alzheimer’s, because the bacteria that cause periodontal disease can lead to the formation of plaques in the brain, resulting in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.
Periodontal disease is caused by poor oral hygiene, smoking, an unhealthy diet, genetics, or a combination of these factors. It can also affect mental health.
The mouth is full of bacteria. Most oral bacteria are beneficial. As part of your saliva, beneficial bacteria coat the teeth and help protect the teeth. Bacteria are also an important part of the digestive system and gut microbiota. And as ancient physician Hippocrates said, “All disease begins in the gut.”
Keeping oral bacteria healthy is important. The mouth is a gateway for bacteria to enter the respiratory and digestive tracts. Bad bacteria in the mouth are easily absorbed into the body and can eventaually cause disease.
Normally, the body is very good at maintaining healthy bacteria and keeping bad bacteria under control. Poor oral hygiene can lead to a buildup of bad bacteria, resulting in oral infections and, if unchecked, other health problems.
Improving the mouth microbiome is an important first step to improving overall health. In addition to oral hygiene and dietary choices, red light therapy can help support healthy teeth and gums.
How Red Light Therapy Improves Oral Health
Red light therapy promotes oral health at the cellular level. In addition to helping maintain a healthy mouth microbiome and reducing harmful bacteria. It also supports the health of your gums, teeth, the jawbone, and mouth nerves.
It is also non-invasive, painless, and natural.
Red Light Therapy and Gum Regrowth
This treatment uses red and near-infrared light to stimulate energy production in cells to improve their health, reduce inflammation, increase circulation, encourage faster gum healing, and the growth of new gum tissue.
In one study, researchers found that both red and near-infrared light stimulated beneficial processes in gingival fibroblasts or gum tissue cells. The treatment reduced oxidative stress and inflammation and decreased apoptosis (cell death). In this case, positive results were amplified after the third treatment session.
Periodontal pathogens including Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and other types of bacteria can be killed using light therapy, particularly blue light. Red light therapy also has antibacterial properties.
Treatment of Bone, Gum, and Tooth Degeneration
Regular red light treatments can stimulate cell growth to treat degeneration of the teeth, jaw bones, and gums.
A 2022 study published in Nature revealed that near-infrared light (with its deep absorption into bone tissue) can also promote bone regeneration.
Red light therapy activates many important cellular processes and promotes tissue repair in bone, tooth, and gum tissue, as well as in stem cells.
In another case, red light treatment significantly increased cell growth due to ATP production that led to increased mitochondrial metabolic activity, as well as the production of nitric oxide (NO) which is a vasodilator. The results were evident several days after a single treatment. This effect was increased even more with more frequent treatments. The treatment also increased teeth remineralization.
Treatment of Bacteria, Gum Disease and Gingivitis
Gum disease starts with poor oral hygiene where food debris, mucus, and bacteria remain on the teeth and form plaque. This plaque can lead to inflammation, tender and swollen gums, gums that bleed during brushing, and bad breath. This stage is called gingivitis.
Untreated gingivitis will progress to periodontitis (periodontal disease), which is much more serious. Periodontitis manifests as bone deterioration, tooth decay, and tooth loss.
When plaque builds up on the teeth at the gum line, the bacteria can then migrate below the gums, which is what will cause inflammation in the gum tissue.
This inflammation causes a condition called mitochondrial dysfunction, where the cells in the gum tissue can no longer produce enough energy to perform their functions and heal from damage.
Mitochondrial dysfunction also negatively affects the cells that produce collagen, which is a necessary component of healthy gum tissue.
Red light therapy can treat periodontal disease by supporting cell health to decrease tissue degradation and promote healing by killing harmful bacteria, reducing inflammation, and boosting collagen production to help regrow healthy gums.
Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is a treatment for periodontal disease. In one case, 90 patients with chronic periodontitis were treated with red light therapy with significant improvements in gum bleeding and bad breath 3 and 6 months after treatment, suggesting the treatment can be a valuable aid in managing periodontitis.
Researchers conducted a study on the optimal wavelengths to use in treating periodontal disease and found that both 635nm red light and 808nm near-infrared light reduced inflammation and decreased apoptosis (cell death) of cells in gum tissue over four treatment sessions.
Treatment for Teeth Sensitivity
'Dentinal hypersensitivity,' or tooth sensitivity, is a sharp pain that can be caused by a variety of factors, including rapid changes in temperature.
Periodontal disease is also associated with dentin hypersensitivity since receding gums can eventually expose the surface of the root.
Red light therapy can reduce dentinal hypersensitivity without side effects, according to a review of 23 studies with 946 participants with unexplained tooth pain not related to periodontal disease.
A 2021 review of 35 studies found that red light therapy has both immediate and long-term pain reducing benefits.
Red Light Therapy for Healing from Dental Work
Thanks to its analgesic and stimulating effects on human tissue, red light therapy has been used to reduce postoperative pain and support wound healing after tooth extractions.
In another study, a 36-year-old male patient with several teeth extractions was treated with four red light sessions (660nm red light). The treated tooth socket healed much faster than the untreated tooth socket.
Red light therapy can also support healing in people with dental implants. Dental implants are the best way to manage tooth loss, but the success rate depends on how well the tooth bonds to the surrounding soft tissue. Inflammation and infection often result in the loss of the supporting bone and implant failure.
In a 2023 study, 25% of tooth implants in the test group were found to have 'bonded' in a process called osseointegration. This was compared to 12.5% that bonded in the control group, further suggesting that red light therapy could be used to help manage inflammation and infection and support healing.
PlatinumLED for Optimal RLT Treatment
Red light therapy using the BIOMAX Series LED light therapy panels along with good oral hygiene may potentially lead to a substantial reduction in gum recession and even regrow gum tissue.
The BIOMAX Series panels are powerful devices that emit a lot of light energy.
They feature a proprietary blend of the most widely studied wavelengths of red and near-infrared light, along with trace amounts of blue light to kill harmful mouth bacteria and trace amounts of far infrared light to stimulate healing within the teeth and in the jawbone.
A short, daily session can help stimulate oral health and over time, potentially regrow gums. As a bonus, the light will also kill harmful bacteria on the tongue, to further support oral health.
If you’re curious about more ways that red light therapy can improve your health, check out the Learning Center where you can read about how this natural treatment can be used to manage pain, reduce systemic inflammation, and even treat thyroid issues.
