When it comes to treating gum disease there are essentially two options - traditional gum surgery or LANAP laser gum therapy. Unfortunately, LANAP laser gum therapy option is often not presented to patient because of lack of knowledge of the LANAP procedure. In LANAP laser gum therapy, there are no scalpels or sutures. The gums are not "flapped" back of the teeth and the bone. Instead, the laser fiber is placed between the teeth and gums into the periodontal pocket.
Essentially, the difference is LANAP laser gum therapy promotes regeneration to reduce the periodontal pocket depths while Traditional gum surgery amputates the gums to attain a healthy periodontal pocket depth. Since LANAP laser gum therapy is less invasive than traditional gum surgery the downtime is dramatically reduced.
While both LANAP and Traditional gum treatments will produce healthier gums, there are some major differences. Since Traditional surgery removes gum tissue to produce shallower periodontal pockets, this exposes the roots of the teeth to the oral environment. Aesthetically, the teeth look longer as more of the teeth are exposed. LANAP laser gum therapy does not remove gum tissue, it promotes regeneration of the gums attachment to the tooth. With LANAP we see very little gum recession. Traditional gum surgery usually take longer, with a longer time frame between surgeries.
