The dental world is taking a high-tech approach and it's working on patients in dramatic ways.

"I was real amazed at the results. It has really helped heal the tooth and I'm real happy," Abijail Jaquez said.

Abijail Jaquez is getting another treatment at the dentist after she said the first one worked so well. It's called Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure or LANAP.

It's being done at University of Colorado's School of Dental Medicine by Dr. Ray Yukna.

"I had the pain for about six months, I was having headaches, shoulder aches," Jaquez said.

But not anymore. One treatment took away the pain for Jaquez, a dental assistant.

The laser basically helps your mouth heal itself, her dentist said.

One X-ray showed teeth that are literally growing bone.

"The tooth was very loose and very uncomfortable for the patient," Yukna said.

Then four months later the hole was smaller. About six months later the tooth no longer had a hole at the root and the gap was even smaller between the teeth.

"To just let the body heal itself and use the laser to stimulate that healing it is kind of an exciting concept," Yukna said.

LANAP is less painful for the patient than traditional options. LANAP is an alternative for typical gum flap surgery. That is its major application. It reduces the pain, swelling, down time, etc., associated with regular gum pocket surgery, and tends to give a more satisfactory result.

"So we don't have to do incisions, we don't have to push the gum tissue away," Yukna said.

The recovery time is shorter so a patient just has to eat a softer diet for a few days. Most patients don't even need pain medication after the procedure, just over-the-counter ibuprofen.

In some cases, dentists are able to save a tooth that likely would be pulled out.

The cost is about the same as the traditional surgery. Patients should talk to their dentist to see if they qualify for this treatment. Yukna would also be able to let people know if they quality. There are only eight or so dentists in the Denver area that can perform this type of procedure.

To learn which dentists are available and certified to perform LANAP, contact Millennium Dental Technologies through the doctor locator Web site or call 888-49-LASER.