Laser Gum Treatment – LANAP, LAR & Biostimulation
Gum disease is not only a problem of bleeding or swollen gums. As periodontal disease progresses, bacteria and chronic inflammation can destroy the bone and connective tissues that support the teeth. Over time, teeth may become loose and may eventually be lost.
Our goal is not simply to clean the gums. Whenever possible, our goal is to stop the disease, preserve the natural tooth, and create an environment where the body can repair and regenerate the tissues and supporting bone around the tooth.
Laser-assisted periodontal therapy allows us to treat diseased areas while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible.
The Main Goal: Preserve the Tooth and Regenerate Support
Traditional periodontal treatment often focuses primarily on removing infection and controlling the periodontal pocket. With regenerative laser therapy, we are also interested in what happens after the infection is removed.
When the diseased tissue, bacteria, calculus, and inflammation are controlled, the tissues around the tooth have an opportunity to heal. In properly selected periodontal defects, this healing process may include new periodontal attachment and improvement or regeneration of supporting bone around the tooth.
The amount of regeneration varies from patient to patient and from tooth to tooth. It depends on the original bone defect, severity of disease, remaining bone support, oral hygiene, smoking, medical conditions, and the body's individual healing response.
Our philosophy is therefore:
Remove the disease. Preserve healthy tissue. Stabilize the tooth. Give the body the best possible environment to heal and regenerate.
Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure
LANAP is designed primarily for patients with moderate to advanced periodontal disease, especially when there are deep periodontal pockets and loss of supporting bone around multiple teeth.
Instead of removing large amounts of gum tissue, the laser is used selectively to target diseased tissue and bacteria while preserving healthier tissue.
How LANAP Treatment Is Performed
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Periodontal examination and imaging. We measure the periodontal pockets and evaluate the bone surrounding the teeth using dental X-rays and, when appropriate, 3D imaging.
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Local anesthesia. The treatment area is thoroughly anesthetized so the procedure can be performed comfortably.
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Laser removal of diseased tissue and bacteria. A specialized periodontal laser is passed inside the periodontal pocket to selectively remove diseased pocket tissue and reduce bacteria.
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Root and calculus cleaning. Ultrasonic and hand instruments are used to remove calculus and bacterial deposits from the root surfaces.
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Laser treatment of the pocket. The laser is used again to help control bleeding and create a stable blood clot around the tooth.
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Tissue adaptation. The gum tissue is gently adapted against the cleaned tooth surface. This allows healing to occur without routinely cutting away large amounts of gum tissue.
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Healing and regeneration. Over the following weeks and months, inflammation decreases and the periodontal tissues heal. In suitable defects, improvement in periodontal attachment and supporting bone may occur.
The ultimate purpose is not simply to make the gums look healthier. It is to retain the natural tooth by improving the biological support around it.
L A N A P
L A R
Localized Laser Assisted Regeneration
Not every patient needs full-mouth LANAP treatment.
Sometimes periodontal disease or bone loss is concentrated around only one tooth, several teeth, or one area of the mouth. In these situations, we may perform localized laser-assisted regenerative treatment, which we refer to as LAR.
The principle is similar to LANAP, but the treatment is directed only toward the affected areas.
We remove the infection and diseased tissue, thoroughly clean the root surface, treat the periodontal pocket with laser energy, stabilize the tissues, and allow the area to heal.
The objective is again to preserve the tooth and encourage regeneration of the periodontal attachment and supporting bone whenever the anatomy of the defect allows it.
This can be particularly valuable when most of the mouth is healthy but several isolated teeth show deeper pockets or localized periodontal bone loss.
Laser Biostimulation
Supporting the Body's Healing Process
Laser technology can also be used at lower therapeutic energy levels for photobiomodulation, commonly called laser biostimulation.
This is different from using the laser to remove diseased periodontal tissue.
Biostimulation is used as a supportive treatment intended to improve the healing environment, decrease inflammation and postoperative discomfort, and support tissue recovery.
It may be used after periodontal treatment, extractions, implant surgery, or other dental procedures when clinically appropriate.
Biostimulation should be thought of as an adjunct to healing, rather than a treatment that independently regenerates lost bone.
Can Lost Bone Grow Back?
This is one of the most important questions patients ask.
In certain periodontal defects, some regeneration of supporting bone is possible.
However, bone regeneration depends heavily on the shape and severity of the original defect. A contained bone defect surrounded by remaining bone generally has better regenerative potential than an area where nearly all of the surrounding bone has already been lost.
That is why every case must be evaluated individually.
Our goal is to determine:
Can this tooth still be predictably preserved?
If there is enough remaining support and the periodontal defect has regenerative potential, laser-assisted periodontal treatment may help us preserve a tooth that otherwise could continue losing bone.
If the tooth has already lost too much structural support, we will explain that clearly and discuss other options.
Our Treatment Philosophy
We do not believe every loose tooth should automatically be extracted, and we do not believe every periodontal problem requires the same treatment.
We first determine why the bone is being lost, how much support remains, and whether regeneration is realistically possible.
Then we explain the findings, educate the patient about the alternatives, and recommend the treatment we believe offers the best chance of preserving the natural tooth.
Explain. Educate. Guide. The Patient Decides.
Book a Free Consultation
That is much stronger for your website because it tells the patient exactly what they want to understand: “Can you stop my bone loss, can any of that support come back, and can you save my tooth?” It also avoids promising that every LANAP case will regrow bone, which we definitely don't want written on the website.