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Laser-Assisted New Attachment Procedure (LANAP) is an advanced dental procedure using laser technology to treat periodontal (gum) tissues.
Gum disease is quite common among people. Many people have gingivitis, a relatively mild form of gum disease that is reversible with proper dental care at home and by having their teeth and gums professionally cleaned. It is essential to have appropriate professional dental care during the early stages of the disease. Otherwise, if left untreated, it will progress into periodontitis, a more severe form of gum disease.
The main reason for gum disease development is plaque - a sticky biofilm that accumulates over tooth surfaces. Plaque contains bacteria that can cause a gum infection leading to gum inflammation and bleeding. If the disease worsens, a severe condition called periodontitis can occur where gums begin to swell and pull away from the teeth creating periodontal pockets between the teeth and gums. These pockets create an anaerobic environment suitable for disease-causing bacteria to survive, creating more infection and inflammation, and bone loss.
The treatments for gum disease focus on removing infected tissues from the periodontal pockets, thus eliminating as much infection as possible. The reduction in infection helps the body fight periodontitis, and the gums will start to fit around the teeth as gum reattachment occurs.
Soft tissues in the mouth are the tongue, cheeks, gums, and lips. Hard tissue refers to the teeth. Different laser systems work at specific wavelengths. The main procedures used for laser dentistry are hard and soft tissue procedures. Each of these tissues is sensitive and contains many blood vessels; hence, they bleed easily whenever they are injured.
LANAP is a surgical procedure where the dentist effectively uses laser light to destroy bacteria and diseased tissue. A minimally invasive treatment that can help to reverse gum diseases, the LANAP is the only proven treatment to regenerate both soft tissue and bone. This procedure helps your body fight infection more effectively by creating an environment where diseased tissues are removed while leaving healthy tissues intact. The treatment is minimally invasive, and hence, the healing process is more comfortable. Once the infection is reduced, the gums will begin to reattach around your teeth.
Benefits of choosing LANAP
One benefit of LANAP is that since only unhealthy tissues are removed, a greater volume of healthy tissue is preserved. The LANAP procedure eliminates post-operative complications such as bleeding and post-operative swelling. This will make the recovery time shorter and more uneventful.
Benefits of choosing LANAP include:
Less discomfort or comfortable healing
Reduced risk of infection
Preserves maximum healthy gum tissue as possible
LANAP - The Process
We begin the LANAP process by numbing your mouth to make the process comfortable and pain-free. After numbing your mouth, we measure the depth of periodontal pockets and set the laser to the correct wavelength to remove the infected tissue inside the periodontal pocket. The exposed tooth root surfaces are thoroughly cleaned by loosening calculus deposits on your teeth. This cleaning helps to prepare your tooth roots to make sure that your gums can reattach more easily.
After cleaning the periodontal pockets, teeth, and tooth roots, we close the treated areas using a different laser setting while simultaneously disinfecting periodontal pockets. We don't use stitches in the procedure. Instead, we use laser energy to help the body to create a blood clot. The blood clot is a fibrin barrier that protects these surfaces, thus preventing infection and aiding the healing process.
Once the LANAP treatment is complete, we will check and adjust your bite. To stabilize your teeth further, we may temporarily splint them together, providing an environment where the forces affecting your teeth and gums are more controlled to allow healing to occur more comfortably.