Light Therapy To Heal Gum Recession And Improve Oral Health

Sensitive, stained teeth, bad breath and receding gums are a sign that your mouth is in trouble. If action is not taken to reverse the cause, bacteria and inflammation will enter the body and can lead to cardiovascular disease, digestive disorders, Alzheimers, obesity, thyroid disease, diabetes, sleep disorders, and more. Pre-term labor is also directly related to mom's oral health.
There are a lot of reasons to use light therapy inside your mouth. Studies have shown light therapy
- stimulates parts of the tooth and gum to regenerate
- stimulates collagen production (important for both gum and bone health)
- reduces the number of negative bacteria inside the mouth
- recent evidence shows that blue light inactivates several viruses, including the common flu c-virus
- disperses doses of low-level red light at particular wavelengths to improve blood flow, encourage cellular turnover, increase circulation and repair damaged tissue
- freshens the breath longer by killing the black-pigmented bacteria that cause halitosis (bad breath)
It used to be difficult and expensive to keep your mouth healthy, but today, we understand the unique microbiome that supports a health mouth, teeth and gums.
"It's time to ditch the practices our parents grew up with and put preventative practices into our daily lives that will not only improve our smiles, but overall health." Trina Felber, RN, MSN, Natural Dental Expert
If you already struggle with bleeding gums and sensitive teeth, reversing both is possible with LED light therapy. It has been used by dentists for years, but treatments are expensive, time consuming and repetitive treatment is needed.
"The mouth is always exposed to bacteria, sugars, and acids that can form their own biofilm known as plaque. Red and blue LED light therapy can be an effective way to bust up plaque, destroy harmful bacteria and heal gum tissue on 'as needed basis' in the comfort of your home. Essentially, you become your own dental hygienist." says Trina
So, why not bring the light therapy home... and on-the-go?
You can do your light therapy when you want and when you need it. Skip the expensive treatments and go for the at-home, peroxide free light therapy kits designed with whole-body health in mind.
Let's take a closer look at how LED light therapy can benefit your mouth... at home.
LED light therapy causes various parts of the tooth and gum to regenerate while reducing the number of negative bacteria. It disperses doses of low-level red light at particular wavelengths to improve blood flow, encourage cellular turnover, increase circulation and repair damaged tissue.
This low-level light source does not lose energy as heat and instead, the energy from the absorbed protons transfers directly to the area being treated, triggering a change in the make-up of the cells.
Light therapy has been used by professionals for over 50 years now and helps to:
- Relieve pain
- Rejuvenate aging skin
- Treat acne
- Improve seasonal affective disorder
- Heal wounds
The therapeutic effect of light has been acknowledged since the early part of the 20th century when sunlight exposure and other natural light was used to treat conditions such as TB, acne, and even dementia. Today, UV light is also used to treat patients who suffer from rickets, neo-natal jaundice, and several other dermatological disorders.
Oral care and LED light phototherapy
Many people worldwide suffer from receding gums or gums that pull away from the teeth, exposing a vulnerable area where a nerve is exposed. Your gums are responsible for protecting your teeth from the sensitivity caused by hot and cold temperatures, so when the gum recedes, you no longer have this protection. In severe cases, gingivitis can occur and develop into periodontitis, which is when the gums can become inflamed and red as a result of a bacterial infection. The gum tissue will begin to recede away from the tooth, offering the perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria.
Scientists at the Forsyth Institute have found that blue light can be used to selectively suppress certain bacteria commonly associated with destructive gum disease.
The research, published in the April Journal of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, suggests that light in the blue region of the visible spectrum might be useful in preventing, controlling, or treating periodontitis – an oral infection that can lead to loss of bone and teeth.
“Some of the key bacterial pathogens associated with periodontitis produce and accumulate compounds that are sensitive to light,” said Nikos Soukos, director of the Forsyth Laboratory of Applied Molecular Photomedicine and the principal investigator. “We found that, when exposed to particular wavelengths of light, a percentage of those pathogens was eradicated within seconds.”
How Light Therapy Works
Several species of bacteria that cause periodontal disease, known as black-pigmented bacteria, transport hemoglobin into their bodies as an iron source (this is thought to be why they make the gums bleed, by using enzymes that weaken blood vessels), and store the hemoglobin’s dark-colored, photosensitive porphyrin. Light directed at these bacteria is absorbed by the porphyrin and, through a chemical reaction, produces substances that are toxic within the bacterial cell.
One product that light therapy might replace is the breath mint. Black-pigmented bacteria are also to blame for halitosis, and light therapy gets at its root cause by killing the bacteria, rather than simply masking their odor as mints and mouthwashes do.
New Evidence Suggests Blue Light Kills Viruses
The evidence shows that violet/blue (400–470 nm) light is antimicrobial against numerous bacteria, and that it accounts for Niels Ryberg Finsen's Nobel-winning treatment of tuberculosis. Further evidence shows that blue light inactivates several viruses, including the common flu c-virus, and that in experimental animals, red and near infrared light reduce respiratory disorders, similar to those complications associated with coronavirus infection. Moreover, in patients, red light has been shown to alleviate chronic obstructive lung disease and bronchial asthma.
Stopping gum recession is imperative in preventing further tooth destruction, gum recession, bone involvement and internal health diseases.
Red or infrared light is known to trigger regeneration of particular parts of the tooth and gum whilst simultaneously reducing the number of negative bacteria. Light therapy is also used to remove surface stains and whiten the appearance of your smile.
A collection of studies have shown that red wavelengths of light stimulate odontoblast activity, so they produce more tooth matrix proteins and activate pathways associated with tissue repair (blue and green light don’t have this affect). In fact, a wide variety of studies have shown that treatment with red light can reduce dental hypersensitivity after oral surgeries and other treatments in the dentist’s office! And, red light can even partially protect against enamel demineralization from hydrogen peroxide treatments (so, let’s ditch the hydrogen peroxide and just enjoy the improved dental health from our red light)!
The combination of both red and blue LED light inside the mouth is a powerful tool in preventing future disease.
You can now whiten your teeth at home without the use of damaging and painful peroxide. Primal Life Organics REAL WHITE TEETH WHITENER combines both red and blue light therapy with REAL WHITE Gels made from olive oil, clays, charcoal, and essential oils to help soothe, cleanse, and heal the gums while strengthening the teeth.
Don't wait for your dentist to tell you that you have gum disease... by then it's too late. Utilize red and blue LED Teeth Whitening Treatments 3-5 days a week and get that natural, white smile with fresh tasting breath without stepping foot in the dentist office.
Recommended:
Resources
- https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2005/04/blue-light-suppresses-oral-pathogens
-
https://harvardmagazine.com/2006/01/light-blitzes-plaque.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7194064/