LANAP

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Tips for follow up and care following your LANAP procedure

Patients with moderate to severe gum disease must take strategic and dedicated steps to address the issue. One excellent treatment option is the LANAP procedure. The Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure is a specialized periodontal regeneration protocol approved by the FDA (and supported by related studies and clinical results) to help create genuine regeneration of gum and bone tissue to its original, healthy form. This procedure uses a sensitive laser to target bacteria contributing to gum disease.

LANAP is especially beneficial for patients fearful of conventional scalpel surgery and those taking certain medications such as blood thinners.

 

How does LANAP work?

This innovative procedure uses light energy from a laser directed through a very tiny fiber placed between the gum and tooth. The light energy then cuts away diseased tissue and helps reduce the amount of bacteria present in gum disease. Tartar, often a culprit with inflamed and bleeding gums, is also removed from a tooth’s root surface with an ultrasonic scaler and other specialized instruments. With a clean target area, the body is free to naturally heal.

 

Does the LNAP Procedure hurt?

The LANAP procedure is completed as the patient is under a local anesthetic of the treated areas. This allows the dentist to precisely direct the laser, and post-procedure discomfort is typically minimal and does not last long. The dramatic increase in patient comfort makes the LANAP surgery procedure very attractive, but individuals should address the need sooner rather than later to reduce further damage to their gums, teeth and bone.

 

How long does it take?

Depending on the severity of the patient’s periodontal disease, LANAP treatment may be completed in one office visit or multiple visits. The estimated treatment time is reviewed with the patient. As reference, LANAP periodontal surgery of a patient’s full mouth is usually completed in two 2-hour visits.

 

Benefits of LANAP care

Some of the benefits of LANAP care include:

  • Minimally invasive allows fast recovery and healing
  • Less pain and discomfort during and after the procedure
  • No invasive cutting and stitches
  • Very little recovery time and many patients immediately resume their daily routines
  • Laser use removes bacteria with less gum inflammation and bleeding
  • Reduced risk of gum recession
  • Better chance of saving natural teeth
  • Excellent option for patients with other health issues including diabetes, HIV, or people taking specific medications.

 

What to expect after LNAP treatment

The LANAP protocol does not require a scalpel to open gum tissues and sutures to close the tissues, so the healing process is relatively simple. In fact, given LANAP’s non-invasive process, there are often far fewer side effects.

For 24 hours following treatment, patients should rest with their head elevated. The day after treatment, normal oral hygiene routines can continue on teeth not treated with the procedure. Patients may experience mild aching, throbbing, and soreness of treated areas for the first two or three days, and this discomfort can be relieved with mild pain medications. Tissue around the teeth may appear discolored and your bite may feel different, but the teeth will soon adapt. Patients cannot brush or floss their teeth for the first 10 days after treatment, and must follow a liquid or mushy diet such as mashed or baked potatoes, eggs, and broth or soft soups. Continue to avoid gum, nuts, candy, and even raw vegetables for 6-8 weeks.

Despite avoiding brushing and flossing, the entire mouth should still be kept clean with a salt-water rinse (½ teaspoon salt in 8 ounces of water) or a rinse provided by a periodontist.  

As always, it is important to maintain good oral hygiene habits in order to avoid the recurrence of gum disease and to keep your mouth healthy. Oral hygiene really is the best proactive treatment to avoid dental issues in the first place.

 

Follow-up care

As the gums heal, the teeth will shift, and a patient’s bite will need to be adjusted several times over the coming months. Splints are sometimes used to stabilize and immobilize the teeth, and promote healing. Plan to have your teeth cleaned every three months for at least the first year.

If swelling occurs in the treated area, an ice pack placed on the face for 15 minutes is highly effective. Remember that even after the initial 10 days following treatment, healing is not fully complete. It’s important to make smart food choices for at least a month following treatment.

dental crowns

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Your teeth are part of one big happy family, but when one of them is damaged or otherwise fails, the whole group suffers. The good news is that many instances of damage to teeth can be repaired with dental crowns, which are “covers” made from specially-designed and durable materials typically colored in a shade to naturally blend with your existing teeth.

Reasons for needing a crown vary, but some of the most common include:

  • Restoring large areas of decay that cannot be addressed with a typical filling
  • Protect a weak tooth from fracturing
  • Restoring a tooth after root canal procedures
  • Cosmetic reasons to improve a discolored tooth
  • Rebuild structural areas of an injured or cracked tooth

Caring for dental crowns

Dental crowns are incredibly strong and with the right kind of attentive care they can last many years. The best strategy in caring for dental crowns blends regular dental visits with diligent oral care at home, including brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing them at least once, while maintaining a healthy diet.

Food to avoid with dental crowns

Always remember that it is a good idea to steer clear of very hard foods (no Jawbreakers) and don’t do things like chewing on ice; either of these choices could cause breakage of the crown. In addition to hard candy, other food can have a significant impact on the lifespan of your dental crowns, including nuts, sticky desserts, chewing gum, and even crunchy fresh vegetable such as carrots and broccoli.

Once the crown procedure is complete it doesn’t take much time to adjust to the feel of the crown on your repaired tooth. However, some foods can complicate the process and make your adjustment period more challenging. These kinds of food will not negatively affect your dental crown but if they make eating uncomfortable, you should at least temporarily eliminate them from your diet:

  • Soup, coffee, and other hot foods can cause some teeth adorned with crowns to feel sensitivity, especially if there was any gum recession also at play.
  • Cold foods can trigger the same painful sensitivity, so stay away from ice cream for a while.
  • Avoid sugary foods, sticky candy, and the like as an everyday rule, and always when you have a dental crown. Sugar is an express route to decay and sticky or hard foods can damage the crown.

Dental crown care tips

While the lifespan of a dental crown varies, your oral hygiene habits go a long way in extending that time frame. In addition to brushing, flossing, and rinsing with antibacterial mouthwash; be aware of and follow these tips:

  • Consider using a night guard. These guards resemble retainers to ensure upper and lower teeth do not touch, and they are also very helpful in protecting against grinding teeth while sleeping. Grinding teeth wears them down and can even cause a crown to pop right off.
  • Ditch bad habits like chewing your fingernails or ice, which can loosen a crown from its moorings. When brushing, remember to be attentive to the gumline area.
  • Some lower quality crowns are susceptible to chipping, such as porcelain-based varieties. A dentist may be able to restore a damaged crown by etching it with an adhesive to bond the crown’s composite resin. However, repaired crowns are prone to damage and are generally less durable.
  • Perhaps the most critical step in crown maintenance is keeping up with routine dentist visits. It’s easy to procrastinate but preemptive visits can help identify and remedy issues before they become serious (and expensive).

Remember, if you feel pain while chewing or biting down, immediately schedule an appointment so your dentist can investigate the cause of the problem. One common culprit is the crown sits up too high and in that case your dentist can adjust its shape and position. Other times, glue beneath the crown washes away and bacteria finds its way in to cause decay. Crowns can also fall off completely if not properly adhered.

If your crown does fall off, do not attempt to “glue” it back into place and most definitely do not ignore it and choose to simply put up with it. Use a temporary adhesive like Fixodent to keep the crown in place until your dentist can have a look.

dental implants

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We are all familiar with the importance of brushing and flossing every day as well as regular dental visits for healthy teeth and a bright smile. More than pearly whites, however, diligent oral care directly impacts your body’s overall health and in fact contributes to extending your lifespan.

But certain life events or habits—smoking, damaged or decaying teeth, medical conditions—can deteriorate your teeth, gums, and facial structure as a whole. When this happens, it might be time to consider dental implants.

What are dental implants and how do I know if I need them?

Simply defined, dental implants are oral-specific medical foundations used in place of missing teeth. These implants take the place of a tooth’s natural root and support a variety of dental prostheses including crowns and bridges.

Is there a defining moment that signals a cue to opt for dental implants? In many cases, a missing tooth is the call. If you lose a tooth, the resulting scenario is more than simply the nuisance of having to dig out that corn on the cob from a summer picnic. Your teeth provide critical nutrients to your body and facial structure and without those nutrients, bone material surrounding the area of the missing tooth weakens and shrinks; potentially up to 25 percent within one year.

The short story is our bones require calcium to properly function and provide their intended support but if the jawbone is in a state of distress it will signal the body to pilfer calcium from the jaw. This is called resorption and left unchecked can cause decreasing gum size, sunken cheeks, and other sagging facial features that contribute to a much older appearance.

Dental implants are fantastic medical options that can restore a vibrant facial look and one effective procedure is All on 4 implants.

What are All on 4 dental implants?

All for one and one for all? All aboard? The name might sound confusing but All on 4 is a catchy moniker for a comprehensive dental procedure involving full arches. “All” refers to all teeth in an upper or lower set. “4” is the number of implants required to hold the arch in place. Put it together and All on 4 means a full set of upper or lower teeth anchored by four dental implants.

For example, instead of replacing several missing teeth one at a time; a dentist can place a full set all at once. Sounds like a great option, right? Let’s look at some benefits of this “all in” procedure.

Benefits of All on 4 dental implants

All on 4 dental implants bring an array of benefits for patients, the most popular being the ability to restore a full arch of teeth at one appointment. This drastically reduces the number of procedures required and cuts way down on time spent in a dentist chair.

The All on 4 method also helps limit the need for bone grafts in cases of jaw bone loss. It is of course more difficult to replace missing teeth with less bone material to work with but with only four implants needed, a dentist can be choosy in selecting the strongest existing bone without grafting.

Am I a good candidate for All on 4 dental implants?

Another great benefit of All on 4 implants is they cater to many different types of patients. Of course, people who have lost many or even all of their teeth are good candidates, as are those who need to have teeth removed for certain reasons. Patients who have suffered bone loss can also benefit greatly from the All on 4 procedure.

This procedure is also popular with patients who tend to be anxious at the dentist, even with general checkups. All on 4 requires far less surgery than multiple tooth replacements and this is good news for those who shy away from extended medical outings.

Budgetary concerns also come into play for many people and to that end, All on 4 is a very cost-effective approach for replacing and entire set of teeth.

Some people or particular situations limit the candidacy of All on 4. If a jaw bone is too weak, for instance, additional strengthening procedures might be required. A healthy immune system and overall good health are also important.

Consult with your dentist to make a sound and strategic decision.