LANAP Laser Gum Therapy at Our Greenville Office

Patients in Greenville who have been told they need gum surgery often arrive at our office hoping there is a less invasive option. For most cases of moderate to advanced gum disease, there is. It is called LANAP. We've offered it at our Traders Road office for years, and here is what the procedure is, how it differs from traditional gum surgery, and what to expect during recovery.

What LANAP stands for

LANAP is short for Laser-Assisted New Attachment Procedure. It uses a specific dental laser, the PerioLase MVP-7, to remove diseased gum tissue without cutting and stitching. The laser also stimulates the bone and gum to reattach to the tooth, which is something traditional surgery can't do.

The FDA has cleared LANAP as a treatment for moderate to severe gum disease. The procedure is also patented. Not every "laser gum treatment" advertised out there is actually LANAP. If you are shopping around, ask whether the office uses the PerioLase specifically.

Why patients in Greenville ask for it

The traditional surgery for advanced gum disease is called osseous surgery. It involves making incisions in the gum, lifting the tissue away from the tooth, cleaning the root, reshaping bone, and stitching everything back. Recovery is usually a week of soreness and a soft-food diet.

LANAP gets you the same therapeutic result without the cutting. The laser fiber is the diameter of a few hairs. It slides into the pocket between the gum and the tooth, vaporizes the diseased tissue, and leaves the healthy tissue in place.

That means:

• No scalpel
• No stitches
• Less swelling
• Most patients return to work the next day

The treatment itself takes about two hours for a full mouth, usually split across two visits, one side, then the other.

What it feels like during and after

During the procedure, the area is numbed with local anesthesia. You are awake. Most patients say it is quieter and less stressful than they expected. The laser makes a low ticking sound. You feel a faint warmth in the gum.

After the procedure, gums look slightly pinker than usual for a few days. Most patients eat softer foods that evening, take ibuprofen if needed, and go back to normal activity the next day.

The longer-term healing, gum reattachment and bone fill, happens over the next six to twelve months. We see most LANAP patients back at three, six, and twelve months to track pocket depths and check progress.

What results we see in our practice

In our Greenville LANAP cases, we measure pocket depth before treatment and at every follow-up. The typical pattern is:

• Starting pockets in the 5 to 9 mm range
• Pocket depth at six months of 2 to 4 mm
• Bleeding on probing reduced or gone

For teeth that were previously considered hopeless, LANAP has saved a meaningful number. It is not a cure for every case, and we still recommend traditional surgery or extraction when LANAP wouldn't give a fair result. We tell you which group your case falls into during the consultation.

Caring for your gums after LANAP

Long-term success depends on follow-up cleanings, every three to four months for the first year. We schedule those at our Greenville office, and we coordinate with your general dentist between visits. Patients who keep up with maintenance hold their pocket depths over the long term.

Patients who don't tend to relapse. Gum disease is chronic, and LANAP is a reset, not a permanent fix. The maintenance schedule matters more than the procedure itself.

When to ask about LANAP

If you've been told you need gum surgery, or if your dentist has flagged deeper pockets at your recent cleaning, ask whether LANAP is a fit before scheduling traditional surgery. We see patients for second opinions every week at our Greenville office, and we'd rather have an honest conversation about your options up front than do a procedure that isn't right for you.

Call our Greenville office to schedule a consultation. Bring your most recent dental records or pocket depth chart if you have one.