Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure (LANAP)

The FDA-Approved and patented LANAP laser therapy is a pocket reduction procedure that reduces pockets by establishing a new connective tissue attachment to the tooth at a coronal level. The LANAP procedure provides the ideal situation in which new bone, cementum, and periodontal ligament can form on root surfaces that were diseased before treatment began. This is a minimally invasive periodontal procedure like no other. In most instances, treatment with the LANAP laser eliminates the need for conventional cut and suture periodontal surgery, also referred to as flap and osseous surgery.

Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2004, this pulsing laser can distinguish between healthy and diseased gums by color. The infected tissue, which is has a darker pigment than healthy tissue, and bacteria are “zapped” away by the laser, leaving behind only healthy gum tissue. LANAP then helps connective tissue and bone form between the gums and teeth, according to a study in the December 2007 issue of the International Journal of Periodontics and Restorative Dentistry. The laser’s heat also seals the gums with a “thermal blood clot” which creates a physical barrier, blocking any bacteria or tissue that could recreate a gum pocket.