What is LANAP laser gum treatment?
LANAP is a laser protocol for gum disease from Millennium Dental Technologies, performed with an Nd:YAG laser. We offer it here in Winchester, TN, and an exam decides whether it fits your gums.
What gum disease does
Gum disease is an infection of the gums and the bone around your teeth. It starts as gingivitis, with red, swollen gums that bleed easily, and can progress to periodontitis, where the infection reaches below the gumline and begins to break down the bone that supports the teeth. The American Academy of Periodontology says gingivitis is reversible with professional treatment and good at-home oral care.
Gum disease can be painless, so a routine exam can find it before you notice anything. The American Academy of Periodontology says tobacco can hide the symptoms commonly associated with periodontal disease, such as bleeding gums. It also says people with diabetes are more likely to develop periodontal disease, and that periodontal treatment has been shown to improve blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research says the main goal of gum disease treatment is to control the infection. The full picture is in what is periodontal disease and what does it do.
Signs of gum disease
Call the dentist if you notice any of these, even if nothing hurts.
Gums that bleed when you brush or floss
Healthy gums do not usually bleed. Bleeding can be an early sign of inflammation.
Red, swollen or tender gums
Healthy gums are pink and fit snugly around each tooth.
Gums that look like they are pulling back
Teeth can look longer as the gum recedes and the root shows.
A bad taste, or breath that does not clear
Bacteria and infection in the pockets under the gum can cause it. With painful, swollen gums it can be an abscess, so call the office.
Teeth that feel loose, or a bite that has changed
It can mean the bone supporting the teeth has been affected. This needs to be looked at soon.
Get medical care promptly if your face or jaw swells or you have a fever. Call the office, or seek emergency care if you cannot swallow or breathe.
What LANAP is
LANAP is a protocol made by Millennium Dental Technologies, and the name is the company’s registered mark. The company says it uses the PerioLase MVP-7, a free-running, variable pulsed Nd:YAG laser.
Millennium says a laser fiber the width of three human hairs targets disease but leaves healthy tissue intact, and it describes the treatment as “no cut, no sew.”
What does a LANAP visit involve?
Millennium describes LANAP as a full-mouth procedure usually completed in two two-hour visits.
How your own treatment would be divided up, how long each visit takes and what aftercare you would need are questions for the dentist at your exam. The maker’s own patient information is on its website, lanap.com.
Who is LANAP for, and where is it offered?
LANAP is a gum-disease treatment, so it is a question for people with periodontitis, the stage where the infection has reached below the gumline and the bone. Whether it suits you is decided at an exam, where the dentist looks at the gums, measures the depth of the pocket around each tooth with a small probe and takes x-rays to see the bone. Gingivitis, the earlier stage, is treated with a professional cleaning and better home care. LANAP is one of the approaches to gum disease, and which one fits depends on what the exam shows.
The first step is the same whichever treatment fits: an exam. Tell the dentist about diabetes, tobacco use and the medicines you take, because they bear on gum disease and on how it is treated.
We offer LANAP here in Winchester, TN, with the Millennium Nd:YAG laser.
Next step
If your gums bleed or have changed, call the office and ask for an exam. We treat gum disease here, including with LANAP.