Not only can periodontal (gum) disease destroy and infect periodontal tissue, loosen teeth, and lead to tooth loss, it can also increase your risk of heart disease and Alzheimer’s, make diabetes more difficult to control, and give you chronic bad breath that can hurt your relationships.

The bottom line is that periodontal treatment is not really optional, but it’s a true necessity. And yet, even with some 80% of Americans suffering from some form/stage of gum disease, relatively few show up at the periodontist office. Why? It seems to be fear of traditional periodontal treatment methods.

What Is Laser Periodontal Treatment?
Laser periodontal treatment, or LANAP (laser-assisted new attachment procedure) treats periodontitis (advanced gum disease) by means of a specialized, pulsed laser tool instead of with blades and stitches.

LANAP is a much less invasive procedure than other traditional methods, and unlike pinhole surgical graft surgery, which requires gums to be free of serious inflammation, LANAP surgery can be performed on periodontal tissue that is already deteriorating.

In fact, the LANAP laser can distinguish between healthy and diseased periodontal tissue. And it encourages gum regeneration, even on tooth roots previously covered with diseased tissue, rather than relying primarily on resectioning as do other methods.

5 Key Benefits of the LANAP Treatment Method
The newer laser-based gum disease treatment gives patients much less to fear and should encourage many suffering from “dental-phobia” along with periodontal disease to make that trip to the dentist.

What are LANAP’s specific benefits? They include the following:

1. The procedure is less invasive. That means fewer incisions (if any) are involved, and there is less pain and less chance of significant or prolonged bleeding. It’s just safer and less painful.
2. Recovery time is faster. You could recover in a matter of days rather than weeks or months. Recovery times always vary person to person, but they are almost always shorter with laser periodontal treatment.
3. No follow-up surgery. No stitches are used, so there is never going to be a second surgery to remove the stitches (sutures.)
4. Less healthy tissue is lost. Because the LANAP laser can discern the difference between “good gums and bad gums,” virtually all the diseased tissue is removed while virtually none of the healthy tissue is lost.
5. LANAP works based on regeneration. The whole focus of laser surgery for periodontal disease is to encourage your natural gums to regenerate and regrow. Other methods must rely more on repositioning or resculpting periodontal tissue.

In summary, we can say that while traditional periodontal treatments and pinhole graft surgery both have a place, for advanced gum disease (periodontitis), laser-based surgery is often the best answer.

To learn more about laser periodontal treatment (LANAP) and if it is right for you, contact Dr. Raymond A. Kenzik in Ormond Beach, FL, for a free initial consultation.