“Laser Dentistry Near Me”

Traditional gum disease surgery involves the use of a scalpel to remove diseased tissue and bacteria from below the gumline. While this type of surgery can be effective and is often necessary, there is now a new type of treatment for gum disease that uses a laser in place of a scalpel. LANAP laser gum surgery has a high success rate in terms of connective tissue reattachment and bone regeneration and involves less pain and faster recovery than traditional surgery.

If you have been told that you have periodontal disease and surgery is required, it is important to know the difference between traditional gum surgery, (which utilizes a scalpel and sutures) and the LANAP treatment.

Traditional surgery typically utilizes a scalpel so that the doctor can reflect the gum tissue back for visibility and to clean the pocket and reduce the pocket depth. The pocket depth is reduced by cutting away tissue. In many cases, the additional use of bone grafting or membrane materials will be needed in order to achieve reattachment of the gum tissue to the root surface of the tooth. Although in some cases, the only way to treat the patient is by traditional surgery, the vast majority of patients that we see opt for the less invasive and more comfortable LANAP treatment, or laser gum surgery.

LANAP treatment does not require the use of a blade, or sutures. It is a minimally invasive surgery that results in very little recession and pain for the patient. The laser operates at a wavelength that can tell the difference between the diseased tissue and the healthy tissue. This means that the laser is extremely safe and selective when being used in surgery. For the first time, we can remove the diseased tissue and bacteria from your gums without harming, cutting, or removing healthy tissue!

Differences between traditional gum surgery and LANAP laser gum surgery

Pain – Traditional surgery can be fairly painful and require pain medication and downtime. Many patients opt for dental implants to avoid the pain involved in gum surgery. LANAP laser treatment involves much less discomfort. There is almost never a need to prescribe pain medication, and the patients can usually go right back to work and move on with their daily routine.

Recession – Because traditional surgery requires the use of a blade, there is no getting away from the gum line being reduced. The question is how much. Traditional surgery can result in lowering the gum line anywhere from 2-4 mm all the way to 10-15mm. LANAP laser treatment is much less invasive and more selective in the tissue that it cuts… This results in little to no recession of the gum line. This is a very important difference because recession can lead to a number of aesthetic problems for the patient, and cause the teeth to become very sensitive to cold and hot temperatures.

Healing Time – The healing time for LANAP laser treatment is much faster because it is a new technology that is less invasive than scalpel surgery. The laser kills the bacteria in your pockets, resulting in a reduction of inflammation and healthier tissue.

Long-term results – Although we can have fantastic results long term with both treatments, LANAP laser treatment is far more predictable when it comes to bone regeneration and connective reattachment of the tissue. The laser stimulates the bone that surrounds the root of the tooth and has been proven to encourage regeneration, often saving teeth that would have previously been extracted. Many times we can reverse the effects of periodontal disease, and the patient will get better and better as time goes on.

We provide “laser dentistry near me”

As technology evolves and breakthroughs are made in dentistry, we are committed to keeping up and offering the latest and most advanced treatments to our patients in order to provide the highest standard of care available. Utilizing a laser to treat gum disease is something that many patients can take advantage of. Please contact us today to find out if LANAP treatment is right for you!