Laser-assisted new attachment procedure (LANAP)

LANAP is a type of surgical therapy used to treat periodontitis. It burns and cleans the area around a tooth which then allows it to regenerate back and heal appropriately. It can currently be done at our Lake Oswego Dental Office.

Here is a video displaying how the procedure works.

Picture Demonstration

This technology has been in use for over a decade, and was cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration to be used on the general public in 2004. Typical a dentist or doctor would be trained or certified to use this procedure. They use the laser to remove the diseased or infected areas, remove tartar, and remove the connective tissue, which heals and reconnects to the tooth. While this technology is still new, it has been shown to be more successful and effective then old procedures used by dentists. The procedure has also proven effective at reducing pocket depth without gingival recession over a 6-month period.

There has been some questions about the results. The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) has yet to amend its August 1999 statement questioning the procedure, when it stated, “The Academy is not aware of any randomized blinded controlled longitudinal clinical trials, cohort or longitudinal studies, or case-controlled studies indicating that ‘laser excisional new attachment procedure (or Laser ENAP)’ or ‘laser curettage’ offers any advantageous clinical result not achieved by traditional periodontal therapy.

The premiere tool for this procedure is the Periolase MVP-7, which is an award winning technology and rated “Best in Class”. Beyond that, there is simply a lack of competing tools out there as well, making it easily in the lead with its other technological function, such as being able to connect to Samsung Galaxy technology. You can investigate it more on the website, though I found it a bit hard to discover information there with all the clutter. I believe this tool was also made by the people who created and improve upon the procedure itself, but I am unsure as its hard to gather real information on the subject using the website. As always, Wikipedia stays the best place for proper information on the tool and the procedure.