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June 17, 2009 | dentalproductsreport.com
specs that matter: Lasers

Specs that matter: Lasers

When you’re getting ready to buy a laser, take a look at costs, training and warranty, but most importantly make sure the laser you select does what you want it to do.

by Stan Goff, Executive Editor

Photo courtesy of Dr. Fred Margolis

Dental lasers come in all shapes and sizes. But before you decide to add one to your practice, one of the most important questions to ask yourself before you make your decision should be: What do I plan to use this laser for in terms of procedures?

Once you have an idea of what you plan to use your laser or lasers for, then you can begin the process of determining whether a hard-tissue or soft-tissue laser is best for your needs—or maybe even a dual-wavelength laser that allows you to cut teeth, handle a variety of soft-tissue procedures and more.

Which wavelength and why?

Biolase Technologies Vice President International Bill Brown admits that wavelengths can be confusing, but said that makes it all the more important for you to do a little research before buying a laser.

“The wavelength to me, that’s one of the first things that you see on a spec sheet,” Brown said. “This whole thing that all wavelengths are the same is not true…especially in soft tissue where you got 810, you got 980, you got Biolase’s 940, you’ve got 1064 and you’ve got all these other wavelengths like the reds used for low-level lasers. If I was a dentist I would just be really confused right off the bat.”

Before you review various other laser options, it’s important to understand basic laser technology and how the wavelengths interact with human tissue.
Brown suggests you then match the wavelength to the types of procedures you plan to perform in your practice.

“You need the wavelength matched to the primary areas of use. An example is that there are many wavelengths for soft-tissue lasers and each has a distinctive absorption characteristic,” he said. “So in other words, if you were going to do soft-tissue as opposed to low-level laser therapy or whitening, or something like going into exposed unerupted teeth as an orthodontist, certain wavelengths do things differently. So you want to match your wavelength to the primary task of your laser uses.”

Brown adds that the ability to adjust pulse widths and pulse rates also is key when looking over a company’s laser specs.

“This allows the operator to optimize the laser tissue interaction and patient comfort by patient and procedure,” said Brown, noting that Biolase’s Waterlase MD all-purpose laser allows such adjustments because soft- and hard-tissue procedures call for dramatically different things from your laser in terms of high peak power, coagulation and more.

Dr. Philip Hudson, a laser veteran and lecturer who practices in Spokane, Wash., said wavelength is only part of the equation. “Much of the purchase decision comes down to factors other than wavelength, including manufacturer reputation, place of manufacture, fiber diameter, energy delivery options, reliability, durability, warranty, portability, serviceability, availability of technical support and continuing education, and, oh yes, cost,” he said.

Cost is an issue

The cost, of course, is always going to be high on the specs that matter to the dentist looking to add the technology. But again, you have to make sure you get the right laser to meet your needs. Soft-tissue lasers (also referred to as diodes and Nd:YAGs) are less costly, but are not suitable for cutting teeth. So while you may want to take a close look at the sticker price, make sure it can handle the cases you plan to add with the new laser.

“The first things that we typically ask is what type of laser are you looking for? Are you looking to get into hard tissue or soft tissue? These are two completely different price points,” AMD Lasers President and CEO Alan Miller said. “Hard-tissue lasers of course cover cavity preps and osseous and you have some combination units but those products can run $50,000 up to $80,000.”

Miller said dentists looking to start with some soft-tissue and whitening laser treatments may want to get their feet wet with a diode laser. His company recently launched a Picasso diode that includes an introductory price of about $3,500. “If they say look I’m thinking about getting it for troughing for some gingivectomies, some esthetic cases, maybe some perio and maybe some bleaching, you head straight toward a soft-tissue laser,” he said. “Those range in prices from our product for $3,500 up to about $13,000.”

The past decade has been a big one in terms of educating dentists on how and why they should use lasers, Miller said. Now he hopes many newcomers will come on board with an affordable diode that may lead to future purchases and upgrades for practices using lasers.

“They’ve been educated to death and really the hold up has been price,” Miller said. “That barrier is gone so there’s a huge wave of dentists getting into lasers now because they’re affordable. The risk of Jeez, if I buy and don’t use it and it sits in the corner, that’s gone now. I build Picassos specifically to put a laser in every operatory; just like they have a handpiece in every operatory. That’s the advantage of the dentist having a laser. He can use it for troughing or gingivectomies, and his hygienist can be using it for decontamination or for bleaching. You’ve got to have a laser handpiece in every operatory.”

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