Most dentists would say the same is true for them. That’s why they do what they do. Their motivation may be based on their own experiences as a dental patient, or maybe they grew up in the business and want to continue the good work a relative spent their life doing. So putting the patient first rings true when you watch several videos Millennium Dental Technologies has created.
Robert H. Gregg II, DDS, co-founder of Millennium, who invented the LANAP and LAPIP protocols, says about the LANAP protocol, “It invented itself.” FDA-cleared, the LANAP protocol is the only laser periodontitis treatment scientifically proven for real periodontal regeneration: new bone growth, new cementum, and new periodontal ligament. The protocol involves using the PerioLase MVP-7 Nd:YAG laser to destroy the bacteria that cause periodontal disease. The process leaves the tissue intact and allows it to heal and reattach with no cutting, no stitching, and little to no pain for the patient.
“Seeing new bone forming in patients around teeth that are considered impossible to fill, especially in root furcations, my rationale was that if I could see that response once in one patient, why wouldn’t I see it again in another?” Dr. Gregg says on camera. “So I began to see that response of bone fill in one patient after another, after another. It became my quest to see if I could do it in every tooth, every pocket, every time.”
According to Dr. Gregg, published data shows LANAP treatment has a 96% success rate and the technique’s FDA clearance (based on human histology) validates that the healing response isn’t just bone fill or new attachment, but actually the regeneration of the entire attachment apparatus: the cementum, the ligaments, and the bone that the ligaments are attached to.
Robert Mokbel, DDS, DSO, a periodontist who practices in Fountain Valley, CA, wanted to try something different because he’d been “cutting gums” for 30-35 years, and now needed periodontal treatment himself after orthodontic therapy. “I didn’t want anyone cutting my gums, believe me!” Dr. Mokbel says. He knew from experience that his patients would go home in pain, and sometimes would not complete treatment because of it. Dr. Mokbel says his patients love the LANAP procedure and he has a lot of success with it. “I can save teeth now that nobody else can save.” Dr. Mokbel has been using the LANAP protocol for almost 7 years is now using the LAPIP protocol successfully on patients with failing implants. “I offer it to all my patients as a first option,” he says. Dr. Mokbel notes on his practice website that “There are zero contraindications with this laser, meaning it does not interfere with any disease or medication.”
Michael D. Silverman, DMD, who practices in Seattle, WA, also had first-hand experience with the LANAP procedure. His experience was a little different—he didn’t have periodontal disease, but wanted two of his teeth restored (Nos. 14 and 15) which both had moderate recession. Knowing he needed to address the recession first, he went to a periodontist to see if tissue grafting would help with root coverage. After two unsuccessful surgeries resulted in a periodontal defect, and extensive scaling and root planing at a different periodontist’s practice, he was told the teeth were not savable and he would lose them. After enduring tooth sensitivity and pain for about 2 years, he underwent the LANAP procedure.
“After the appropriate time of healing, the area was reevaluated and believe it or not, I had attachment again!” Dr. Silverman recalls. “In fact, the probing depths were better than normal, the discomfort had completely diminished, and I literally saved those teeth.”
With the knowledge that periodontal disease is linked to systemic health, and that millions of people have untreated gum disease, having a reliable alternative to surgery to try first is a boon?especially if it results in bone growth, tissue reattachment, and faster healing, as well as saving teeth from extraction and patients from more painful procedures. Now that’s “All about the patient!”