LANAP Laser Gum Surgery in Kennewick, WA

As gum diseases like gingivitis or periodontitis advances, the gums can start pulling away from teeth, which causes pockets to form. The pockets are breeding grounds for harmful bacteria because food particles and plaque get into them and breakdown, leading to bacteria that cause decay. To reduce the size of the pockets, the alternative to traditional surgery is LANAP laser gum surgery.

What is LANAP Laser Gum Surgery?

Instead of using a scalpel and suturing the pockets to reduce their size as in traditional gum surgery, our dental professionals at A Family Dental Center uses Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure, or LANAP, to reduce the size of the pockets.

With this laser surgery, there is no need to use a scalpel to cut into the gum line to pull the gums back to clean out the plaque and bacteria in them. Instead, one of our dentists in Kennewick, WA, uses the fiber laser to get between the gum and tooth to clean out the pocket to reduce inflammation.

Cutting into the gums and then suturing them is painful and requires downtime to heal from the surgery. The fiber laser, which has a light in the optical fiber, uses the body’s reaction to the light to reduce inflammation quickly and allows the gums to heal without needing to stitch them.

How Much Recovery Time does LANAP Require?

Your dentist at A Family Dental Center will brief you on what to expect after the surgery, but the recovery time is far less than what it is with traditional gum surgery. With the traditional surgery, you can expect your gums to take about two to four weeks to heal. There is usually considerable swelling and pain associated with the recovery.

With laser gum surgery, the recovery time can be less than 24 hours. However, you should avoid vigorous activities for at least a week because it can sometimes restart bleeding. Also, rest during the week and eat a soft diet to avoid irritating your gums by trying to eat hard foods or those that are acidic.

LANAP laser gum surgery in Kennewick, WA, is far less invasive than traditional surgery so that you can recover faster, reduce the size of the pockets in the gums, and get back to your normal routine almost right away.