Benefits of LANAP
With LANAP:
- Treatment gives the body a chance to heal itself, helping you avoid more invasive surgery.
- You will experience less discomfort, inflammation, and bleeding because there are no incisions and because the laser eliminates bacteria and preserves healthy tissue.
- You can expect to be back to normal activities in less than a day.
Unlike traditional gum disease treatment, LANAP will not lower the gumline significantly. This helps prevent cosmetic concerns and future dental problems.
Research shows that the procedure stimulates new bone growth around existing teeth, adding support and strength.
Many patients are good candidates for LANAP, and the procedure offers them the opportunity to save teeth that may otherwise be a lost cause.
Antibiotic Therapies
Antibiotics or irrigation with anti-microbials (chemical agents or mouth rinses) may be recommended to help control the growth of bacteria that create toxins and cause periodontitis. In some cases, Dr. Smith may place a local antibiotic in the periodontal pockets after scaling and planing. This may be done to control infection and to encourage normal healing.
What LANAP Patients Can Expect
When you schedule an appointment with Dr. Smith to treat your periodontal disease you can expect the following:
- Provide you with local anesthetic to give you greater comfort during the procedure.
- Examine your mouth to see how deep your gum pockets are and how much connective tissue and bone has detached from the tooth roots.
- Using magnification to see and remove more of the tartar that is causing periodontal disease.
- Aim gentle pulses of laser light into the gum pockets and the tartar deposits beneath the gumline, destroying bacteria and diseased tissue. The laser will not impact your healthy gums and tissue.
- Use the laser to create protective seals around the teeth to encourage gum reattachment to the root surfaces. This makes stitches unnecessary.
- Dr. Smith may also recommend adjusting your bite to promote healing and provide your teeth with greater comfort and stability in the future. This is particularly important for teeth that have suffered bone loss.
Recovery from LANAP is mild. You can manage any discomfort with over-the-counter pain medication. Plan to adjust your diet to very soft foods for about three days, moving to soft foods for one week before returning to your normal diet.
Osseous Surgery
Osseous surgery reshapes the bone that holds your teeth in place. The goal is to reduce pocketing and to stop the progress of periodontal disease.
In the surgery, Dr. Smith removes infection from diseased roots and bone, reshapes the bone’s surface, and creates a tighter connection between gum tissue and the teeth.
While osseous surgery patients can achieve effective results, Dr. Scott Smith typically recommends alternative procedures first. Proven non-invasive techniques can often resolve periodontal disease without cutting or stitches.
Osseous Surgery vs. LANAP®
Osseous surgery requires the use of a scalpel, sutures, and special instruments to remove tartar and calculus from your teeth. The scalpel gives a periodontist visibility into the gum pocket so that he can clean the area.
However, traditional surgery can create gum recession because it incises more healthy tissue. You may experience more discomfort and sensitivity as a result.
For nearly a decade, Dr. Smith has used the laser-assisted new attachment procedure (LANAP) as a preliminary treatment for osseous surgery candidates. It is a minimally invasive laser treatment that:
- Conserves healthy tissue and targets diseased tissue.
- Prevents gum recession and cosmetic issues.
- Causes less pain, bleeding, and downtime.
