If you’re an American adult and you’re over 30 years old, you have a good chance of having some form of periodontal disease. It’s infection and inflammation of the gums and bone in your mouth, and nearly 50% of Americans over age 30 have it.
Periodontal disease ranges in severity. Gingivitis is early-stage periodontal disease that can advance to the most severe form: periodontitis.
If left untreated, periodontitis causes gum recession and eventually tooth loss. It can compromise the function of your mouth and the appearance of your smile, but the good news is that it’s treatable.
At Arcadia Perio, our periodontal surgeons J. Paul Fuentes, DDS, and Andrew Peterson, DMD, are proud to bring the latest in periodontal treatment to our patients. We offer periodontitis care with PerioLase™ Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure® (LANAP), a protocol that fights damage from periodontitis and even stimulates your body’s ability to heal itself.
The dangers of periodontal disease
Periodontitis is an infection. It creates inflammation in mouth tissues like gums and bone, damaging and destroying these structures over time. Since your teeth rely on gums and bone for stability, periodontitis can cause loose teeth and tooth loss.
Your mouth naturally contains bacteria. Brushing and flossing regularly helps keep bacteria at bay, but when it collects on teeth, it forms plaque. Plaque is a sticky substance, and it can harden into tartar on the surface of your teeth.
When plaque and tartar remain on your teeth, the bacteria cause inflammation of your gums around the base of your teeth. If inflammation persists, periodontitis develops. Your gums get weaker, and more bacteria collects in pockets around your teeth, deepening the infection.
Although periodontitis is extremely common, it is preventable. Brush your teeth twice a day, floss daily, and get professional dental cleanings twice a year.
Practicing proper oral hygiene reduces your chances of developing periodontal disease, and it increases your chances of successful treatment if you do get it.
How LANAP laser dentistry works
Put simply, LANAP laser dentistry targets inflammation and triggers regeneration within the tissue affected by periodontitis. If you have periodontitis, deep pockets of infection have developed between your gums and your teeth. LANAP is a safe way to treat the infection.
The procedure generally requires conscious anesthesia. After you’re sedated, we use the LANAP device to remove damaged tissue with laser energy. The laser destroys and eliminates harmful bacteria, which helps fight infection in inflamed gum and bone tissue.
We use specialized tools to clean the surface of your tooth roots to remove hard deposits. Once the area is clean, we use the LANAP laser to create a blood clot that stimulates healing from the inside out.
LANAP offers a handful of benefits compared to traditional periodontitis surgery. Not only does it strengthen gums to ward off complications like loosening teeth, but it delivers results with less blood loss, less swelling, and less pain than other methods.
Because it’s less invasive, LANAP may be a good option for people who have other health conditions that limit their choices when it comes to surgery. A lower risk of bleeding means you might not have to stop taking your other medications, like blood thinners, prior to treatment.
After your procedure, your body heals, and new connective tissues form in the treatment area. Tissue regeneration takes place over the following months, and we monitor your progress to ensure you’re recovering well.
Fight periodontitis and tooth loss with the help of LANAP laser dentistry. Find out if this treatment could be right for you with a consultation at Arcadia Perio, located in Arcadia, California. Contact us now to set up an appointment.