Gum disease that has reached the bone used to mean cutting. It increasingly does not.
LANAP is laser periodontal therapy. It combines the proven methods of traditional gum surgery with the precision of laser dentistry — and it saves gum tissue that conventional surgery would remove to treat the disease. Treatment is almost painless with long-lasting results.
Once gum disease progresses past the gums and involves the bone — the condition commonly called pyorrhoea — treatment becomes surgical. Traditional flap surgery lifts the gum away from the tooth to clean the diseased surfaces beneath, and some tissue is removed in the process.
It works. But losing gum tissue has consequences you live with afterwards: longer-looking teeth, sensitivity, and a gum line that is harder to keep healthy.
A laser targets the diseased tissue and the bacteria within the pocket with a precision a blade cannot match. Healthy tissue that traditional surgery would sacrifice is preserved.
The procedure has gained considerable popularity in western countries, and it brings the general advantages of laser dentistry with it: bloodless procedures, so less or no swelling and pain, an analgesic effect meaning minimal anaesthetic, and faster healing.
The signs of pyorrhoea, roughly in the order they appear:
The first is easy to dismiss. By the last, bone has been lost — and bone that is lost does not grow back on its own.
Most gum disease never needs any of this. Regular follow-ups and oral prophylaxis — scaling and polishing with ultrasonics — twice a year keep gums healthy, and treatment of bleeding gums without surgery by laser is available well before the surgical stage.
A simple procedure like teeth cleaning can do miracles for gum health. It remains the most cost-effective appointment in dentistry.
Gums are the foundation. They determine whether implants succeed, whether veneers look right at the gum line, and how a smile ages. Almost every other treatment sits on top of them — which is why this is examined before larger work is planned.
Laser periodontal therapy. It combines the proven methods of traditional gum surgery with the precision of laser dentistry, saving gum tissue that would otherwise be removed.
Treatment is almost painless, with added comfort and less recovery time than traditional gum surgery.
Yes. Treatment of pyorrhoea and bleeding gums without surgery, using a laser, is one of the advantages of laser dentistry.
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