A Revolutionary New Technology Promises to Transform the Nature of Periodontal Treatment

This new technology is Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure, also known as LANAP. It has revolutionized the treatment of gum disease by combining the most effective and established methods of treatment with the precision use of a special laser.

Although as much as 66% of the United States population has some form of gum disease, many avoid seeking treatment because of their aversion to the discomfort that often results from dental surgery. LANAP is changing this however, by providing an alternative to surgery that is every bit as effective, and much more beneficial to the patient both in the short term and in the long run.

The special type of laser used in LANAP is the ND: YAG, a crystal-based laser that emits a solid wavelength of light that can be used on both hard and soft tissues. The bright red color of the laser makes it easier for the dentist to visually detect and differentiate between healthy tissue and necrotic tissue. To minimize heat damage to healthy tissue, the LANAP laser simultaneously releases a stream of cool water or air onto the gumline to prevent it from being damaged. This also minimizes discomfort, allowing a dentist to perform LANAP without anesthetic.

LANAP itself consists of four simple steps that are much less traumatic to the teeth and gumline than traditional dental surgery, and which help the mouth heal much more quickly.

1. A perio probe determines the degree of excessive pocket depth and thus helps the dentist better identify diseased tissue and areas of bacterial infection.

2. The laser then removes this diseased tissue, while the heat of the laser kills the bacteria.

3. The dentist removes tartar from the root surface using an ultrasonic scaler and special hand instruments

4. The laser is then used to clean the pocket one more time before sealing it closed against further infection.

Because of its less invasive nature, there are a number of noticeable advantages and benefits that LANAP offers over traditional surgery. For one thing, there is a much faster recovery time because most, if not all, damage to healthy tissue is proactively averted by through the use of more advanced, precision technology. Because LANAP involves no cutting of tissue, the height of the gums themselves around the teeth is much better preserved, and there is also much less post-operative stress to the mouth.

Any minor pain that a patient may feel is almost always manageable without a prescription, and can be treated with a variety of over the counter medications. Obviously as well, the laser causes minimal bleeding compared to steel instruments and the heat it produces continuously sterilizes the periodontal pocket while it is busy cutting away necrotic and diseased tissue. As a result, the patient feels almost no pain either during or after the procedure.

For many people as well, the aversion to surgery is motivated by time constraints as much as it is motivated by an aversion to pain. People with demanding jobs do not have hours and hours to spend in surgery, and have to schedule time off weeks, if not months, in advance. This is why so many executives and business owners prefer to have LANAP performed as an alternative to surgery.

Traditional dental surgery normally takes four 1-hour sessions with multiple visits for suture removal and checkups. LANAP, on the other hand, takes only 2, 2-hour sessions and two follow-up visits. This means more can be done with fewer days off, and typical recovery is almost always less than 24-hours, making an immediate return to work both possible and comfortable.

After having LANAP performed, gum recession is minimal in comparison to that which typically follows normal dental surgery. This, combined with new cementum and collagen formation on the roots, prevents subsequent tooth loss.

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