LANAP® and LAPIP™: Minimally Invasive Periodontal and Peri-implantitis Treatment Protocols
As partners in private practice in St. Charles, Illinois, Martin Kolinski, DDS; Tricia Crosby, DDS, MS; and William Trahan, DMD, MSD, have collectively placed more than 30,000 dental implants. Their practice focuses on both the placement of implants and periodontal work.
Crosby and Kolinski, who first partnered together in 2007, became interested in using laser technology to treat patients with peri-implantitis and periodontal diseases because of patient demand. After researching the LANAP® and LAPIP™ protocols—and ultimately using the technology—they were impressed by not only the patient acceptance but also the results. Trahan joined the practice in 2015 and also completed the live-patient training continuum.
The LANAP protocol, from Millennium Dental Technologies, offers a less painful, less invasive treatment solution, giving both patients and clinicians a successful periodontal treatment alternative to conventional surgery. LANAP=Laser Assisted Regeneration (LAR) is a scientifically and histologically proven methodology that achieves periodontal regeneration—new alveolar bone growth, new periodontal ligaments, and new cementum. The protocol is only achieved using the PerioLase® MVP-7™, a free-running, variable-pulsed Nd:YAG laser.
“In today’s era, many facets of dentistry have progressed toward non-invasive or minimally invasive surgical procedures. This is what initially interested me in the PerioLase laser,” Trahan explains. “Shortly after joining the practice, I made the commitment to go through the training and start using the protocols. Periodontal disease and peri-implantitis are both significantly prevalent in the dental profession, and I wanted a more predictable, conservative approach to treatment.”
The LANAP=LAR treatment, according to Millennium, targets the source of inflammation without hurting or removing any healthy gingiva tissue. It regenerates bone and tissues lost to gum disease, decreases pocket depth, and allows the body to recover from the chronic infection without the need for a scalpel or sutures. In 2016, the PerioLase MVP-7 became the only 510(k) Food and Drug Administration-cleared device in dentistry that can make the claim of full-mouth true periodontal regeneration.
Using the same principles as the LANAP protocol, Millennium Dental Technologies’ LAPIP protocol is a patient-friendly, minimally invasive, and tissue-sparing solution for ailing implants.
“The chief advantage, in my view, is that these protocols are effective in the treatment of periodontal disease and peri-implantitis with very minimal discomfort to the patient,” Kolinski attests.
“Many times the outcomes from the treatment of periodontal disease are unpredictable,” Crosby notes. “The LANAP protocol allows patients to proceed with treatment with minimal surgical risk. Additionally, it affords patients who are not emotionally ready to lose teeth or who have strong fears due to past negative experiences with periodontal surgery an alternative option for treatment.”
Crosby, Trahan, and Kolinski are also impressed with the economics of laser therapy. “Once the cost of the laser is covered, there is very minimal additional cost involved in treating these two common dental problems,” Kolinski says.
By incorporating the laser technology into their practice, the three clinicians agree that it has made it easy for their referring doctors to send patients for the treatment of periodontal disease. Their patients have reported positive experiences with fewer complaints of discomfort, recession, sensitivity to hot and cold, and food impaction.
“In our office, we have witnessed that periodontal regeneration is a repeatable, observable phenomenon, so we continue to use the laser as our first choice treatment of peri-implantitis,” Crosby summarizes.
Millennium Dental Technologies
10945 South St, Suite 104A
Cerritos, CA 90703
888-638-5262
lanap.com
