LAPIP® – Treatment for Failing Dental Implants

In much the same way that LANAP® laser therapy can treat periodontal disease and stimulate regrowth of lost bone and tissue, LAPIP® (short for laser assisted peri-implantitis protocol) can save a failing dental implant. This is great news for anyone who has had a dental implant placed, only to find later that their body did not properly fuse bone to implant post. Considering the time, cost, and effort that go into dental implants, having a new way to achieve success in a case that would otherwise fail is a big advancement.

Overview of Dental Implants

Dental implants are generally preferred by patients and dentists alike for several reasons. They provide greater stability and a more natural replacement for a missing tooth than their prosthetic predecessors. Implants can be used to replace a single tooth, a bridge, or even a full arch with an implant-supported denture. The success rate for dental implants is also very high.

When Implants Fail

Though implants generally work quite well, they require an acceptable amount of bone to serve as the anchor. Also, once the implant post is placed, for the implant to hold it needs to fuse to the bone. For most patients, this occurs naturally. Occasionally a patient may find that his or her bone did not properly fuse with the implant post. When this happens, the implant is not securely held in place, and it may eventually come out completely.

How LAPIP® Can Help

In much the same process as with LANAP®, LAPIP® therapy uses a special laser to remove any bacteria that may have gotten in around the implant post. If there was any type of infection at the implant site, the laser will destroy it as well. The laser is then used to create a healing pocket around the implant post, which will stimulate bone growth. In 95% of cases where the dental implant was failing on its own, the LAPIP® laser treatment was able to regenerate enough bone to stabilize the post.

Benefits to LAPIP®

In addition to the obvious advantage of being able to save a failing implant, LAPIP® has several benefits, including:

• Single appointment process
• Non-invasive—no incisions, sutures, or grafts
• Non-interactive with medications
• Minimal bleeding, since the laser cauterizes as it goes

Finally, this process is less expensive than the alternative to a failing implant, which is to remove it, complete a bone graft, wait for the body to heal from the graft, and then place a new implant. LAPIP is opening doors to assist patients that would otherwise be out of options.

Our goal at Dassani Dentistry is to best serve the needs of our patients and to provide the best possible quality of life. We are proud to offer this technology that is revolutionizing how we approach some of our most challenging cases. If you are concerned that you have a failing dental implant, or if you want to learn more about LAPIP®, contact our office today to schedule a consultation.