Er:YAG laser in the clinical management of severe peri-implantitis: a case report

Peri-implantitis is bacterial infections of peri-implant supporting tissues, involving the peri-implant bone. Several treatment protocols have been tested in clinical practice with variable efficacy. The clinical management of peri-implantitis aims for elimination of plaque and calculus, decontamination of the failing implant surface, and regeneration of lost bone tissue. Surface decontamination is an important part of all suggested treatments. This can be accomplished with the use of chemical agents (eg, chlorhexidine) or mechanical (eg, ultrasonic) or photonic (eg, laser) devices. In this report, we present a case of severe peri-implantitis that was successfully managed with a combined nonsurgical and surgical approach. Implant surface debridement/decontamination of the implant surface was achieved with an erbium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (Er:YAG) laser device.