Laser gum surgery LANAP vs traditional - Cook Periodontics

If you have periodontal disease, you’re probably wondering about the different gum disease treatment options that are available today.

Traditional gum disease treatment is major surgery. Patients need general anesthetic to get through the pain, bleeding, scraping and suturing required to remove diseased tissue and bacteria from the gum pockets. Bone grafting or membrane material is also commonly used to help the gum tissue reattach to the tooth’s root surface. And in some cases, the periodontist may even pull the teeth and replace them with implants or dentures.

LANAP® laser gum surgery is a completely different kind of gum disease treatment. It’s much less invasive because there’s no scalpel, no cutting and no sutures. That means there’s very little, if any, discomfort. The periodontist will administer a local anesthetic during the procedure and then patients can often get back to work or usual activities the same day without taking pain medication.

Laser Gum Disease Treatment Reverses Periodontal Disease

Laser gum disease treatment does more than reduce the anxiety and fear of going to the periodontist. It gives patients with periodontal disease new hope.
LANAP® gum disease treatment actually stimulates new bone growth. Histological studies and thousands of satisfied patients prove that laser gum disease treatment literally encourages gum tissue to reattach to the root and regenerates bone growth around existing teeth.
When performing the LANAP® gum disease treatment, the periodontist aims tiny beams of light between the tooth and gum with a laser designed to precisely target and differentiate diseased tissue from healthy tissue. So, regardless of how deep the gum pockets are or how much debris you have, the laser kills only the bacteria and leaves the unscathed, healthy tissue behind so it can reattach to the root and support existing teeth.

A scalpel can’t do that. Traditional gum disease treatment may effectively remove bacteria from the gum pockets but some portion of the nearby healthy tissue is always lost in the process. The scaling and root planing usually causes excessive bleeding and gum line reduction, sometimes to significantly low levels. This can create aesthetic concerns for the patient and increase tooth sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures.

Although not every patient is a suitable candidate for laser gum disease treatment, most people are. Ask Dr. Deana Cook if the right gum disease treatment for you.