What causes gum disease?
A very common cause of gum disease is bacteria that live in the space between your teeth and gums. This causes infection and weakens the attachment between your tooth and the gum creating what’s known as a pocket. This makes the tooth vulnerable to more bacteria, decay, bone loss and eventually tooth loss. Often times, people don’t they know they have gum disease since it might not be painful and is often referred to as the other Silent Killer.
Benefits of LANAP
While there are other safe and effective treatments for gum disease, LANAP® offers the following benefits:
Treat gum disease with the minimally invasive LANAP®
LANAP stands for Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure. What that means is that we use the laser to not only sterilize the pockets in the gum, but also attach the gum back to the tooth to close the pocket and eliminate your infection. Often times, if your gums are bleeding, it means that these disease-causing bacteria are in your mouth. Your mouth is a warm, moist place which makes it the perfect home for spirochetes, amoeba and other bacteria which are directly related to periodontal disease. The bacteria in gum disease have also been linked to many systemic diseases throughout your body, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and many more.
The good news is that this can be easily treated with lasers! On your first appointment, we will take a sample from underneath your gums and look at it under the microscope. After you complete treatment, we will take another look under the microscope to be sure that all the parasites are completely eliminated and there is no movement on your slide.
Laser Gum Surgery. A Gentler Solution with LANAP
About laser gum disease treatment
In the past, before laser gum surgery was available, periodontists had to cut the gum tissue to remove the disease. With traditional gum disease surgery we had to open up the gum tissue using a scalpel to scrape the pocket and then stitch it back together. This often caused inconsistent results and patients suffered pain, discomfort, and unappealing aesthetics. Now, we are using lasers as a more effective, less-invasive solution for our patients. Laser Gum Surgery, otherwise known as LANAP is a much gentler alternative to traditional gum surgery and it is now is FDA APPROVED! With laser gum treatment, now periodontists can use the Millennium Laser to clean the tissue and stimulate growth and reattachment, treating periodontal disease. This process is usually completed in one appointment, allowing you to return to your regular routine almost immediately.
The laser treats gum disease very effectively by using an extremely fine gold filament to go into the pocket and kill the bacteria. We clean the pocket out very thoroughly and make sure that the blood in the pocket clots. After this procedure, the gum actually reattaches to the tooth and closes the pocket without leaving gaps, or sensitivity.
LANAP is the only protocol that has been proven to cause bone and tissue regeneration that reattaches the gum tissue to the bone. Millennium Laser submitted a study to the FDA showing that their laser is the only one proven to regenerate bone and tissue and they recently have been approved. As a Periodontist, becoming certified requires extensive training to be sure that the laser gum surgery is being performed to Millennium’s standards.
How does LANAP work?
The LANAP® protocol involves six steps:
Gum disease and your body
Gum disease can have a significant impact on your overall health. Besides leading to tooth decay and gum infection, periodontal disease is associated with many health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, kidney disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, and numerous forms of cancer.
Don’t let gum infection reduce the quality of your life when treatment is this easy and convenient!
Dr. Joseph Nemeth is certified in treating gum disease in Southfield, MI with LANAP®, the first FDA-cleared laser protocol for treating gum infection and disease. If you would like to discuss the LANAP Procedure, or gum disease treatment options, contact Dr. Nemeth’s office to schedule a consultation today.
FAQs about laser gum surgery in Detroit, MI
LANAP® is the only FDA cleared laser protocol for the treatment of gum disease. The PerioLase® MVP-7TM laser eradicates bacteria and infected tissue but leaves healthy tissue unharmed. Dr. Nemeth is fully trained with this technology.
While there is minimal pain and discomfort involved, LANAP® laser gum surgery is the least painful and often the most effective way to treat your advanced gum disease.
Traditional gum surgery can require up to ten sessions. LANAP® requires only one session. Since LANAP® does not cut into your gums and causes very little bleeding, recovery is practically immediate.
Patients who benefit from LANAP have been diagnosed with periodontal disease and have pocket depths between 5 and 6 millimeters. You may also benefit if you have advanced periodontal pockets that are inoperable or that have become infected again, despite previous periodontal treatment. For more information about LANAP and whether it is right for you, schedule a periodontal consultation with our office today.
Patients undergoing LANAP are made comfortable using a local anesthetic. Your periodontist will use a laser to gently remove diseased gum tissues from the pockets surrounding your teeth. After the infection is eliminated, your teeth will be cleaned, and the laser will be used once more to help your gums form clots in the pockets.
Following your treatment, you should be able to return to work immediately. If you are like most patients, you’ll experience much less swelling and discomfort than you would with traditional flap surgery, and your gums will bleed less following the procedure. You will be given special instructions for keeping the treatment site clean and free of debris, and you may need to follow a special diet in the days following your procedure. Because the clots are sensitive in the first week following LANAP treatment, you’ll also need to avoid brushing your gum line for the first several days after your procedure.
Take a closer look.
