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bacteria found in the analysis were Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia. Figure 28a shows the initial clinical and Figure 28b the initial radiolog- ical situation before laser treatment. On the X-ray, no calculus can be seen in the interdental area 23/24 and neither mesially from 23. The therapy of choice was therefore to splint the teeth together, to eliminate the occlusal dysfunction and to eliminate the patho- genic bacteria. After SRP followed laser protocol in four sessions. Eight years later, the whole regenerated bone me- sial of 23 was stable and the bone had regenerated interdentally at 23/24 according to the pockets’ anat- omy. Clinically, both teeth in Figure 29a present nor- mal periodontal clinical values and Figure 29b shows osseous regeneration ad integrum mesially from 23 and the maximally possible bone regeneration inter- dentally at 23/24. The reduction of the pocket depth to an inflamma- tion-free, painless and long-term satisfactory peri- odontal situation has always been described as a combination of gingival shrinking and bone regener- ation. Bone regeneration was in all patients depen- dant of the pockets’ anatomy and is rather well pre- dictable, whereas the predictability of the extent of gingival recession after such a treatment is less safe. 4. Discussion When we started with lasers in our practice nine years ago, we had only the wavelength of 670 nm and methylene blue at our disposal. We then treated a young lady of 37 years with a 12 mm deep pocket dis- tally at 23 (Fig. 30). We remember that we told her this would be a very long and expensive treatment with augmentation procedures. She was really shocked about the future costs. Then we informed her that an- other therapy exists but no guarantee for success would be given. She agreed to commence this treat- ment. The pocket was caused by Actinobacillus acti- nomycetemcomitans (Fig. 31). After SRP and curettage under local anaesthesia we added four sessions only with tPDT as described under section 2.2.2. No antibiotics or augmentation procedures were applied. Five months later, Figure 32 shows that all pathologic bacterial flora was elimi- nated only by the correct application of tPDT. Nine years later, the patient is very happy and completely satisfied with the stable result. In September 2009, the author, 62 years old at the time, was immatriculated at RWTH university of Aachen for the master course of lasers in dentistry. He finished two years later. The literature for lasers in dentistry in periodontal treatments is still contradictory. There are many au- thors that cannot find better therapeutic results compared to conventional closed periodontal treat- ments alone or with adjunctive lasers. Neither a PDT with toluidine blue and a laser wavelength of 632 nm38 could improve the clinical parameters of bleeding and probing, probing pocket depth and clin- ical attachment level nor did a diode adjunctive laser39 therapy improve the above mentioned clinical param- eters and the measured gingival cervicular fluid in- flammatory mediator interleukin-1b (IL-1b). Even the Fig. 28a Fig. 28b Fig. 29a Fig. 29b research | Fig. 28a: Clinical initial situation of teeth 23 and 24. Fig. 28b: Radiological initial situation after splinting 23/24. Fig. 29a: Clinical situation eight years later. Fig. 29b: Corresponding X-ray: mesial 23 restitutio ad integrum and interdental 23/24, the maximally possible bone regeneration. laser 1 2017 15