Lots of dental offices these days – biological and otherwise – offer laser treatment of gum disease. Far fewer offer the specific laser treatment known as LANAP®, even though it’s been almost 20 years since the FDA cleared it as a less invasive and less painful alternative to traditional surgery for severe gum disease.
In fact, many patients who struggle with gum disease have never even heard of LANAP, which is one reason why we blog about it regularly (here, for instance, and here). We want people to know that even if gum disease has made their teeth wobbly because of tissue loss from the infection, there is real hope of saving those teeth.
That’s because, unlike conventional therapies, LANAP – which stands for “laser-assisted new attachment procedure” – is a regenerative procedure. The special ND:YAG laser we use selectively targets and removes diseased gum tissue while leaving healthy tissue intact. This helps regrow the supporting bone and stimulate the reattachment of gum tissue to the teeth.
That’s the beauty of LANAP. It doesn’t “just repair the damage done by gingival disease.” It allows for “true regeneration” of all the tissues needed for full, healthy periodontal function. “It achieves the gold standard of regeneration.”
And all this happens with less pain and discomfort for you, not to mention faster healing.
Over the years, research has confirmed the use of LANAP for the treatment of periodontitis. (Periodontitis is the advanced form of gum disease in which tissue loss occurs. That tissue loss is why teeth can loosen in their sockets and ultimately be lost due to the out of control infection. The teeth are less supported). Just this past summer, two new studies added to the mountain of evidence.
The first study, published in June in the Journal of Periodontal & Implant Science, evaluated the results of LANAP in 22 adult patients with chronic periodontitis. After a single session of LANAP, each patient went into a periodontal maintenance program and was re-evaluated 12 to 18 months later.
Across the board, the health of those patients’ gums improved. There was better attachment, new supporting bone, and minimal gum recession. Nearly all periodontal pocket measurements – 93.5% – were less than 3mm after treatment. That’s a sign of healthy gums. (Pockets deeper than 4mm are a standard sign of periodontitis.)
More recently, a study in Diagnostics compared the results of LANAP to those of scaling and root planing, the standard treatment for periodontal disease. In this case, half the patients underwent SRP, while half received LANAP. Before treatment, biofilm samples were taken from each to test for three major bacteria involved in gum disease.
Six weeks later, all patients underwent followup exams, and new biofilm samples were taken. While improvements were seen in both groups,
LANAP was associated with a greater reduction in pocket depth and improved clinical outcomes, associated with a significant decrease in the amount of Porphyromonas gingivalis. The clinical results included a decrease in periodontal pocket depth, bleeding on probing, and dental plaque, with LANAP having better overall outcomes than SRP alone. The use of Nd:YAG lasers in LANAP therapy is a safe and effective procedure that is well accepted by patients.
Our patients who have sought this innovative treatment would agree. And the results we consistently see is why LANAP is such a critical part of the specialized periodontal care we provide.
