Innovator Profile: BIOLASE making the digital workflow efficient for dentists

DPR sat down with Dr. Howard Golan, owner of BIOLASE products, to learn more about how their products are changing the digital workflow.

DPR: Why do you feel it’s important to have the best technology in your practice and how do you communicate some of this to your patients?

HG: We use technology every day in the “real world.” Technology allows us to transact, communicate, and even be healthier more efficiently and most times with less stress than in the past. Why should we not leverage technology in dentistry? Lasers, CBCT, and Digital Restorative Dentistry allow me to provide better, faster and less invasive care. It is a win-win for my patients and my practice.

Communicating is easy because these technologies all have a massive visual component. Most learn visually so these technologies speak for themselves.
In addition, once patients experience a laser procedure or see their mouth in 3D, it changes their mindset about what we as dentists can do for their mouth and their bodies.

DPR: What role does BIOLASE play in helping you deliver the best possible care?

HG: The WaterLase and the EPIC diode lasers impact almost every patient every day. We use the laser as an alternative to the drill, scalpel, retraction cord and endodontic medicaments. We integrate these lasers with traditional dental procedures and add some modern procedures like laser assisted periodontics, laser tooth desensitization and laser endodontic disinfection.

The laser provides positive cellular effects that help with healing, cell proliferation and analgesia. This allows for improved patient outcomes by minimizing the negatives of treatment and minimizing morbidity associated with traditional dental procedures.

DPR: What do you like best about WaterLase?

HG: The WaterLase cuts and heals with water. Period. Water is the most important substance in the human condition. We use water to limit the negatives associated with dentistry. The WaterLase changes dentist and patient perceptions of what going to the dentist and taking care of their oral health means.

Check out this video of Dr. Golan's high tech practice ...

DPR: What do you like best about the NewTom cone beam imaging system?

HG: As a clinician practicing in three different decades, dental diagnosis has always been superficial and in 2D. We never knew what was going on in the tooth or the bone. We always guessed at the presence or absence of something and the severity of the pathology. When laser cavity detection was introduced, it was amazing at how so many carious lesions were missed because our diagnostics were not good enough. CBCT and specifically the NewTom changes all that.

The implant community started it years ago and now it is time for the rest of the dental community to follow suit. We are able to prevent future problems, which is the essence of minimally invasive dentistry, by seeing lesions, both in teeth and bone, way before they show up on 2D film. Furthermore, we can plan treatments better and with less guessing. NewTom being the first CBCT in dentistry provides some of the best images with the lowest radiation exposure to our patients.

DPR: As the first clinician ever to practice with the new GALAXY BioMill, tell us a little about its integration into your Digital Dentistry practice along with using the 3Shape TRIOS intraoral scanner.

HG: I have eliminated more than 85% of the conventional impressions in my office since using the TRIOS. The speed, accuracy and visual images that the TRIOS provides is unmatched. We are able to get accurate connections on the first try for implants and conventional crowns and bridges, superior implant emergence profiles and optimal esthetics.

When it calls for it, we can also provide single-visit ceramic and composite restorations. The GALAXY BioMill is a workhorse and in the near future will be able to mill other materials besides ceramic in office. One-visit dentistry is fantastic as it gets the patient completed for less time and money than conventional indirect restorative dentistry.

DPR: With the world of dentistry so into a Digital Workflow, explain some of the benefits this technology provides for your practice, and how working with a company like BIOLASE helps to accomplish this?

HG: I started with BIOLASE nine years ago with their WaterLase and have seen a growth in their commitment to providing dentists with technology that is unmatched. No company can compare with these products as a whole.

The digital workflow is efficient, fun and is a great way to differentiate the practice from others in the area. In today’s competitive environment, when we all are competing for patients, we want to think and act differently. By integrating traditional dental philosophies with modern procedures and equipment, we can change everything.

FEATURED PRODUCTS

GALAXY BioMill

THE SIMPLEST WORKFLOW WITH THE BEST
CAD/CAM TECHNOLOGY

• Optimized Chairside Milling for Dental Practices and In-Clinic Labs

• The GALAXY BioMill is optimized for dental practices seeking to fulfill the vision of delivering commercial lab-quality chairside restorations in a single patient visit, without being locked into a closed system.

• Simplified Tool Management

• Lifetime monitoring, and automated replacement and changing of milling tools eliminates the guesswork and triples the tool life compared to other systems.

• Peak Performer

• The GALAXY BioMill’s advanced features–like the commercial-grade, high-frequency Jäeger spindle capable of up to 60,000 RPM–produce fast, extremely precise restorations.

• Better Features & Capabilities

• Compare the open-architecture freedom of the GALAXY BioMill system to other systems and see the difference!

For more information about these and other BIOLASE products, call 1-888-424-8748 or head to www.biolase.com.