A Healthier Smile, Without the Surgery
Caring Family Dentistry offers LANAP, the laser alternative, to give our Concord neighbors a less painful way to treat gum disease. At Caring Family Dentistry, we use advanced technology to tackle gum disease without the inconvenience of traditional methods.
The Problem at a Glance
Gum disease is also known as periodontal disease. It's an inflammatory issue that affects your gums and the bone structures around them. It begins with plaque buildup—a sticky film of bacteria that accumulates on teeth and under the gumline.
If you don't get treatment, the bacteria in the plaque can irritate and infect your gums. The result? Gum disease. It can progress from inflammation (gingivitis) to more severe forms (periodontitis and advanced periodontitis).
Lasers Mean Less Surgery
LANAP, or Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure, is a treatment we use at Caring Family Dentistry. LANAP combats gum disease as an alternative to surgery.
Traditional gum surgery usually means cutting and suturing your gum tissue. But LANAP uses a dental laser, the PerioLase MVP-7. The laser deals with bacteria and diseased tissue without damaging your gums and bone.
Diagnosing the Problem
First, our Caring Family Dentistry team has to determine how severe your gum disease is. We'll do that by measuring the depth of your gum pockets. We use a periodontal probe, which gauges the space between your gums and your teeth.
It helps us identify areas where bacteria have accumulated and caused infection. If we find a pocket deeper than 3 millimeters, that indicates periodontal disease. We'll treat you to prevent further damage.
Using the Laser
Once we've measured the pocket depth, we begin treatment with the PerioLase MVP-7 laser. The laser removes infected tissue and bacteria from your gum pockets.
Don't worry. The laser only targets diseased tissue. It always leaves healthy gums intact! That's how we keep you comfortable during your procedure.
Eliminating the Plaque
After your laser treatment, we'll deal with any plaque or tartar buildup on the root surfaces of your teeth.
Our team will use ultrasonic scalers and hand instruments to get rid of any hardened plaque. Scaling and root planing also help reduce your chances of future bacterial buildup.
Cleaning the Gums
Next, we'll clean your gum pockets with the laser. It'll seal the pockets and keep them closed. We do that to help a blood clot form and prevent bacteria from re-entering the pocket.
Sealing your gum pockets protects the treated area and encourages more blood flow. That'll help your gums heal once we're done.
Adjusting the Bite
We've got to make sure your bite is balanced. If necessary, our doctors will make slight adjustments so that your teeth fit together like they should. We don't want you feeling any excess pressure that could interfere with your healing.
Helping the Healing
Though LANAP treats gum disease, it doesn't just stop there. It actively promotes regeneration.
The laser revs up your body's natural ability to rebuild the tissues around your teeth, including the bone. Reconstructing the tissue encourages the reattachment of gums to your teeth and supports bone regeneration.
Prevent Implant Infections
LAPIP (Laser Assisted Peri-Implantitis Procedure) is a laser treatment that helps with peri-implantitis, an infection around dental implants.
Similar to how LANAP treats gum disease, LAPIP uses the same PerioLase MVP-7 laser technology to target the bacteria and infected tissue around your implants.
What Is LAPIP For?
Our team uses LAPIP to treat peri-implantitis. If untreated, peri-implantitis can lead to inflammation, bone loss, and implant failure. The LAPIP procedure stops the infection. It regenerates lost bone and protects your dental implant.
How Does LAPIP Relate to LANAP?
LAPIP and LANAP both use the PerioLase MVP-7 laser. Both procedures help eliminate infection in gum tissue.
So what's the difference? LANAP is specifically for your natural teeth suffering from periodontal disease. However, LAPIP is adapted to treat the gums and bone around dental implants.
Strengthen Your Smile
From the Roots
Healthy gums and bones work together to support a superstar smile. LANAP fights gum disease, and motivates bone regeneration, which strengthens your bones. Traditional gum surgery can't match that, so LANAP is your superior choice for lasting oral health.
Less Hassle
Many surgical dental procedures involve cutting into the gums and suturing them back together. Understandably, some folks aren’t exactly eager to sign up for that.
LANAP gives you a better alternative. It lets our Caring Family Dentistry team handle the problem of gum disease without surgery. That means you get spectacular results with less stress and irritation.
Faster Recovery
For most people, recovering from gum surgery takes anywhere from a couple of weeks to a month. We know that kind of commitment isn’t in the cards for most families in Concord. That’s another reason we use LANAP.
Most of our patients who receive LANAP are ready to resume their regular lives within 24 hours of treatment. That’s right! Just one day and you’ll be back in action. That should help you keep some of the PTO you’ve worked so hard to accrue!
Better Bones
When most people think of orthodontics, they only think about teeth. But your teeth don’t exist by themselves. They’re connected to other tissues in your body. Most importantly, they’re rooted in the bones of your face and jaw.
Ever broken a bone (or know someone who has)? Then you know your bones can regrow. It’s called “bone regeneration.” LANAP encourages your bones to regenerate. Traditional gum surgery can’t do that.
Common Questions
Let LANAP Line up Your Smile
Want to know more about how LANAP can rejuvenate your smile? Schedule a free consultation with our Caring Family Dentistry team in Concord today. Reach us at 603-230-9719.