The Impact of Periodontal disease on Systemic Health

1. Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by a group of gram negative bacteria including Prophyromonus gingivalis, Bacteroides forthyus and Actinobacillus actinomycetemomitans which are found in large number in the plaque on our teeth.

2. The virulence components shed by bacteria such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can cause platelet aggregation and adhesion, promote cholesterol deposition and formation of lipid laden cells in our blood vesicles, thus, promote athroma formation, causing heart attack and stroke.

3. The LPS triggered internal inflammatory reaction is also thought to cause early onset of labor by triggering uterine contraction, thus, causing preterm low birth weight infants.

Approximately 75% of the population struggles with this disease. Only 3% of the population has been treated per year. The main reason for this low treatment percentage is because the conventional periodontal treatment involves gum cutting, peeling, removal and bone trimming surgery, which results in lots of pain, bleeding, swelling, teeth sensitivity and also unpredictable, thus, low patient acceptance.

LANAP was first developed by Dr. Robert Gregg and Dr. Delwin McCarthy in California more than 15 years ago. www.milleniumdental.com

LANAP was approved by FDA in U.S. for treating periodontal disease in 2004.

For all the new dental technologies, I normally wait for 5 years. After 5 years, the ones that do not work will fade away; the ones that are proved working will stay and prevail. So far, 10% of American periodontist (gum specialist) have purchased LANAP. I have talked so many LANAP dentists and they all liked the technology. That is why I purchased LANAP technology in order to treat the gum disease that we could never be able to treat before.

Treatment Procedure A)Perio probe indicates excessive pocket depth. B)Laser light removes bacteria and diseased tissue. C)Ultrasonic scaler and special hand instruments are used to remove root surface tarter. D)Laser finishes cleaning pocket and aids in sealing the pocket closed so new germs cannot enter. E)Healing of gums to clean root surface occurs. F)Bite trauma is adjusted. G)Healing occurs.

Laser Periodontal Therapy™ for General & Periodontal Practices Laser Periodontal Therapy™ is a laser-based approach to gum disease using an Nd:YAG free running pulsed laser requiring specific knowledge and skills drawn from the whole dentistry. To you the patients this means: less pain, less bleeding, less swelling, less tissue removed, less down time, and less recovery time which is decidedly less costly to you and your employer. The reasons we use Laser Periodontal Therapy™ are to: remove only the diseased tissue without removing any of the healthy tissue, maintain the height of the tissue around teeth, minimize pain and discomfort to the patient, get a closure of the periodontal pocket wound and allow healing to take place. Controlling periodontal disease makes it possible to save and restore otherwise hopeless involved teeth.

How does LANAP Work ?
Unlike the conventional gum surgery which involves gum cutting and peeling, bone trimming and gum removal to lower the gum height to reduce gum pocket, LANAP is different.

LANAP uses laser wave to selectively kill bacteria and pathogen hiding in the gum pocket in a way that much like microwave pops the popcorn, no physical touching, technically, much easier and more effective in bacterial removal.

LANAP does not cut the height of gum, instead, causes gum to re-attach to teeth root surfaces, convert your own blood to a fibrin clot to seal all the way around your teeth, therefore, create a sterile environment inside the gum for the bone re-growth, which the conventional gum surgery can not achieve.

Because its non-invasive nature, LANAP treatment does not cause severe pain, swelling and bleeding in general and is much more comfortable to patient. Patients normally return to work the same day after the procedure.

What is the Success Rate of LANAP?
Although just like any other therapies, there is no guarantee of success, other LANAP performing dentists report that almost 90% of LANAP treated patients required no LANAP re-treatment during the first 5 years after initial LANAP therapy.

How Much Does LANAP Cost?
The cost of LANAP treatment is comparable or less than conventional gum surgery ( Between $ 2000 to $ 5000 depending on the number of diseased sites) and mostly covered by dental insurance although the application for approval from insurance companies is always done before the procedure.

Do the math, LANAP provides opportunity to save multiple teeth, improve systemic health at a cost comparable to one implant cost to replace just one lost tooth.

LANAP fee covers a one or two visits of full mouth LANAP treatment (kill all pathogenic bacteria in your gum), splinting and adjustment, and two post operative check-ups with in one month.

Does Your Office Do Financing?
Yes. Depending on patient’s finance situation and percentage of insurance coverage, we offer patients up to 6 months payment installments.

Patients who had financing approval from our office will write post-dated cheques and backed by providing two valid credit cards info.