Does LANAP Really Work?
The LANAP protocol can often reverse the effects of gum disease through treatments that use a specialized, minimally invasive dental laser to heal gum disease by regenerating bone and soft tissue, including the periodontal attachment tissue that holds the gums to the teeth, in the oral cavity. LANAP technology has been used in the dental community for years, and multiple studies on LANAP demonstrate positive outcomes, particularly when compared with traditional surgery. The acronym LANAP stands for Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure, which is a short explanation of the procedure itself: LANAP stimulates the attachment between rejuvenated, healthy gum tissue and bone in the mouth and jaw, which essentially reverses periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is caused by inflammation and bacterial infection in the oral structures of the mouth, and, as it progresses, it causes the healthy attachment between teeth, gum tissue, and bone to fail, eventually leading to loss of the natural teeth.
In a traditional surgical treatment for advanced periodontal disease, the dentist cuts diseased tissue away and removes pockets of infection using a scalpel, then stitching the gums back into shape around the teeth with sutures. While this procedure is effective, it relies on the natural healing of the gum tissue to reverse the progression of disease, which takes a long time, especially following an invasive surgical procedure. The traditional surgical procedure can also have a painful or uncomfortable recovery process. With a LANAP treatment, the laser eliminates visibly darkened diseased gum tissue, simultaneously killing any bacteria in the mouth and encouraging the growth of new tissue, in a healthy environment and in an expedited manner. The procedure is far less traumatic to the oral tissues than traditional scalpel surgery, and it sterilizes the oral cavity as well, therefore leading to a much easier and faster healing time.
The LANAP procedure has been shown to result in less tooth loss than traditional scalpel surgery, and it is demonstrated to increase attachments following treatment as well as encouraging gum regeneration. Over the long term, LANAP has also proven successful, as patients who undergo LANAP treatment are less likely to have a recurrence of periodontal disease, for a variety of reasons. This is due in part to the antibacterial effects of the LANAP laser, and in part to the effective way the newly grown, healthy tissues protect the bone and the roots of the teeth from future disease. Additionally, because the healing process for LANAP is so relatively brief and painless, it is easier to adopt effective oral hygiene habits very shortly after the procedure. While LANAP has not been proven to regrow bone, it has been shown to lead to optimal conditions in the oral cavity to accelerate a patient’s own healing processes. Because it is non-invasive, tissues heal far more easily, and the laser sterilization facilitates healing, especially when compared with traditional scalpel surgery. There is some clinical evidence of bone regeneration following LANAP treatment for gum disease, but scientists are still studying LANAP technology to determine whether or not complete bone regeneration is possible.