Saving Hopeless Teeth and Implants With Laser Interventions
Inside Dentistry provides the latest in endodontics, implantology, periodontics, and more, with in-depth articles, expert videos, and top industry insights.
July 1, 2024
Volume 20, Issue 7, July 2024
Page(s): p. 64
Gregory Bennett, DDS
Gregory Bennett, DDS, emphasizes that earning a positive reputation through honesty and creating value for patients have been the primary keys to his success in growing from a small four-operatory practice that he acquired to a 10-operatory practice that he built himself. After graduating from the University of Iowa's College of Dentistry, Bennett started his career practicing in a small rural area in Garner, Iowa. However, he eventually moved to Colorado to buy a small practice from a retiring dentist in 2003. "Within a year, we outgrew that building and had to move into a space with five operatories," he says. Ten years later, in 2014, Bennett upsized again, and then in January of this year, he built his own building in Arvada, Colorado. "It took forever to find my own spot," he says, "but now, I have 10 operatories that are all equipped with high-tech digital dentistry equipment." Bennett's practice, Arvada Dental Center & Implants, offers both general dentistry and implant-related services, including single, multiple, and full-mouth implant treatment plans.
One of the most important ways that Bennett creates value for his patients is by staying up to date on the latest technologies and treatment protocols. "I have always taken a lot of CE courses," he says. "I have completed hundreds, possibly thousands, of hours spanning many clinical areas, from implantology to digital dentistry, CAD/CAM, and lasers. We've been using lasers in the practice for about 15 years, and more recently, we implemented both the LANAP® and LAPIP™ protocols."
Both the LANAP and LAPIP protocols have helped Bennett bring his practice to another level. These protocols are only available on the PerioLase® MVP-7™ laser system from Millennium Dental Technologies. Featuring digital technology and seven pulse durations, the PerioLase MVP-7 is a 6-watt, free-running variable-pulsed Nd:YAG dental laser that can treat gum disease and regenerate bone and other tissues that are destroyed by periodontitis as well as address the growing prevalence of peri-implantitis. This laser's unique features and powerful software algorithms make it the only laser that can be used to safely, efficiently, and effectively perform the LANAP® and LAPIP™ protocols. It can also perform a wide range of other cosmetic, prosthetic, periodontic, endodontic, and surgical soft-tissue and hard-tissue laser procedures that Millennium refers to as value-added procedures or "VAPs."
Before Bennett purchased the PerioLase MVP-7, his hygiene department had already been using a diode laser to perform laser bacterial reductions and other soft-tissue procedures, and he also had a water laser that he used for some cosmetic procedures. However, he had yet to discover a laser that could truly deliver on everything the manufacturer claimed. Although Bennett was skeptical at first, he found that the PerioLase MVP-7 truly delivered on claims regarding periodontitis and peri-implantitis treatment. "I thought there was no way it was going to be able to regrow bone and regrow attachments around teeth in the way that it claimed to be able to," he says. "However, every time that I used it, the patient would return 6 to 10 months later, and I could see that it really did have a regenerative effect. It has become such a great tool in my practice, and I absolutely love it."
According to Bennett, one of the major benefits to offering the LANAP protocol, which is used to treat periodontal disease, is being able to save patients from the high cost of extracting teeth and placing implants. "I've had success on teeth where I literally had to hold the teeth in place with my finger as I was treating them because I was scared that they were going to fall out during the procedure," he says. "But then 10 months later, they are solid. It is unbelievable. With the PerioLase MVP-7, we can offer the LANAP procedure to prevent the need for implants in as many cases as possible, and in cases where implants have been placed that have subsequently developed peri-implantitis, we can utilize the LAPIP protocol to grow the surrounding bone back and save implants that otherwise would have received a hopeless prognosis."
Bennett recognizes that adopting the protocols and implementing the PerioLase MVP-7 may seem like a large investment in terms of both cost and time, but it's an investment that pays off very quickly. "About 1 to 2 months after purchasing the PerioLase MVP-7, I had already done enough cases to pay for it," he says. "And we get referrals not only from specialists but also from patients too." Bennett also points to the company's mandatory hands-on clinical training conducted by the Institute for Advanced Laser Dentistry (IALD) as another key differentiator. "The training for it is pretty extensive because it's the only FDA-cleared laser for true regeneration of cementum, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone with scientific proof, including human histology," he says. "So, you can't just attend a single 5-hour course and then get a laser, but Millennium does a great job, and the continuum of classes is spread out across 5 days over the course of a year with actual hands-on patient treatment. This really allows you to make great progress each time, absorb the new skills that you have learned, and actually see your cases progress. Moreover, the PerioLase MVP-7 itself is very user-friendly, so the training is mainly about learning the protocols."
The PerioLase MVP-7's return on investment has been well worth the while for Bennett because patients are eager to accept treatment that will save their teeth or implants. He cites a recent independent study that showed that 91% of patients accept LANAP treatment over conventional osseous surgery.* "When you're shining the light into patients' mouths, it's hard to believe that it will work until you see the results 6 to 10 months later," he says, "but it turns out that it isn't hocus-pocus, it's science, and it really does work."
*Richman C, et al. "Perceptions of the LANAP protocol." Decisions in Dentistry. 2020;6(10):18, 21-23.
The PerioLase MVP-7 is a free-running pulsed Nd:YAG laser that treats periodontal disease, peri-implantitis, and other conditions.
The LANAP, LAPIP, and BLAST protocols can only be performed using the PerioLase MVP-7, which features 7 user-selectable digital pulse durations and a built-in power meter and joule counter to ensure optimal power output for patient safety and efficacy.
The PerioLase MVP-7 can also perform dozens of value-added procedures (VAPs).
Millennium supports clinicians with a year-long continuum of hands-on training with live patients.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Millennium Dental Technologies • lanap.com • 877-526-2759
