What Is LANAP? A Patient’s Guide to Laser Gum Disease Treatment

If your hygienist mentioned deep pockets or bone loss at your last cleaning, there’s a good chance you went home and typed one word into a search bar: LANAP. Here’s the short answer. LANAP® is a laser treatment for moderate to advanced gum disease that clears infection from below the gumline without cutting or stitching the gums, and it’s designed to help your body rebuild the attachment that disease took away. At Inspired Smiles in Burnsville, MN, we offer LANAP laser gum treatment for patients who want to keep teeth that gum disease has started to threaten. This guide covers what it is, what the FDA has cleared, and what a visit actually involves.

Gum disease works quietly. Plaque bacteria settle below the gumline, the gums pull away from the tooth, and a pocket forms that a toothbrush can’t reach. Over months and years, the infection breaks down the bone and fibers that hold each tooth in place. Because it rarely hurts until late, many people don’t notice until a tooth feels loose or a dentist starts measuring pockets of 5 or 6 millimeters. The traditional fix is surgery that folds the gums back and trims them lower. LANAP takes another route: a specific laser targets the diseased pocket lining and bacteria while leaving healthy tissue in place, then helps seal the pocket so new attachment can form.

Dr. Uyen Pham earned her dental hygiene degree in 2003 and spent years cleaning below the gumline before she went back to dental school and earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery in 2015. That history matters here, because she knows firsthand where a deep cleaning stops being enough. Dr. Giang Pham brings degrees in biology and chemistry, which shows in how clearly she explains healing and bone. Together they offer LANAP inside a family practice, so you don’t have to start over with a new office to get advanced gum care. And if you’re worried about cost, we give transparent estimates, accept most major insurance plans, and offer flexible financing.

This Article Will Address

• What the letters in LANAP actually mean
• What FDA clearance covers and what it doesn’t
• Whether bone lost to gum disease can grow back
• How LANAP compares with other dental lasers
• What a LANAP visit looks like from start to finish

What Does LANAP Stand For?

LANAP stands for Laser-Assisted New Attachment Procedure, and each word tells you something about how it works. Laser-assisted means the laser handles specific jobs inside the pocket, while ultrasonic and hand instruments still clean the root. New attachment is the goal: gum tissue and supporting fibers reconnecting to a root surface that disease had stripped bare, instead of the gums simply shrinking down around it.

Procedure matters too. LANAP is a defined, step-by-step protocol developed by Drs. Robert Gregg and Delwin McCarthy in the 1990s, and dentists complete dedicated training to perform it. That’s why you’ll see it written with a registered trademark symbol. The name refers to one specific method, and our laser gum therapy for natural teeth and implants follows that full protocol rather than a shortcut version.

Is LANAP FDA Approved?

LANAP is FDA-cleared, which is the correct term for a medical device like a dental laser. The FDA approves drugs, while devices go through a review called a 510(k) clearance. The laser used in the LANAP protocol was first cleared for the procedure in 2004. In 2016, the FDA cleared it for something no device had been cleared for before: true periodontal regeneration, meaning new cementum, new ligament, and new bone on a root surface that had been diseased.

There’s an important catch. That clearance applies to that specific laser used in the LANAP protocol. An office using a different laser for gum treatment can’t claim it. So when you compare options, it’s completely fair to ask which laser and which protocol a dentist uses.

Can LANAP Regenerate Bone?

Yes, LANAP can regenerate bone, although the amount varies from tooth to tooth. The clearest evidence comes from human studies of teeth that were already scheduled for extraction. In one 2012 study, researchers treated 12 of these teeth and examined them under a microscope about nine months later. Five showed regenerated bone, ligament, and cementum, one showed new attachment, and four healed with a tight gum seal but no new bone.

Here’s what drives that healing. After the laser removes the infected pocket lining and the root is cleaned, a second laser pass helps form a stable blood clot near the top of the pocket. That clot keeps bacteria and fast-growing gum skin out while slower bone and ligament cells fill in underneath. It’s a process measured in months, not weeks, which is why we compare X-rays over time instead of judging results at the first follow-up. Your starting bone level, home care, and smoking habits all shape the outcome as well.

How Is LANAP Different from Other Laser Treatments?

The difference comes down to the laser type, its settings, and the protocol behind it. Plenty of dental offices own a laser, but most are built for other jobs:

• Diode lasers are common in general offices and are often used to reduce bacteria in pockets or trim gum tissue, but they aren’t cleared for regeneration
• Erbium lasers work well on tooth structure and bone and show up in some filling and gum reshaping work
• CO2 lasers are mainly used to cut and shape soft tissue
• LANAP pairs one specific pulsed laser with a fixed sequence of steps, and that combination is the only one cleared for true periodontal regeneration

Not every gum problem calls for LANAP, either. Early gum inflammation, called gingivitis, usually turns around with a thorough cleaning and better brushing and flossing habits, which is part of everyday general dentistry. LANAP is for the stage after that, when pockets and bone loss have set in.

What Happens During a LANAP Appointment?

A LANAP visit typically runs about 60 to 90 minutes per section of the mouth, you’re numb the whole time, and there’s no cutting or stitching. Most cases are finished in one or two sessions. Here’s the sequence:

• We measure each pocket and review your X-rays so the treatment matches every tooth
• The first laser pass removes the diseased pocket lining and targets bacteria
• Tartar comes off the root surface with ultrasonic and hand instruments
• A second laser pass helps form the protective clot that seals the pocket
• We check your bite and smooth any spots taking too much pressure, since extra force on a loose tooth slows healing

Most patients go back to work the next day with mild soreness that over-the-counter pain relievers handle. You’ll return around three weeks later for a healing check and at three months for a fuller evaluation. Dr. Uyen Pham and Dr. Giang Pham review your home care instructions before you leave, so you know exactly what to eat and how to clean during the first week.

Schedule Your LANAP Consultation with Our Team

If your gums keep measuring deeper despite regular cleanings, a consultation is the easiest next step. We’ll check your pockets, look at your X-rays, and tell you plainly whether LANAP laser gum treatment fits your situation or whether something simpler will do the job. Inspired Smiles is welcoming new and returning patients in Burnsville, MN, with appointments Monday, Tuesday, and Friday and weekend visits by request. Book online or contact our front desk to set up a time, and take a look at our full list of general, restorative, and cosmetic services if you’d like to see everything we offer your family.

Sources

• FDA 510(k) Premarket Notification K151763
• Human Clinical and Histologic Evaluation of Laser-Assisted New Attachment Procedure
• Gum Disease, ADA MouthHealthy