Why Embrace Laser Technology?

By Michael Koceja, DDS

As dentists, we can become comfortable in our practices, but every January, I contemplate the challenges of a New Year: practice growth, office equipment and remodeling costs, staff, and of course, new technologies. One of those technologies is diode laser technology. It’s not new, but many offices don’t see the advantages diode lasers have to offer. If you only used one for troughing prior to crown and bridge impressions, you would greatly enhance the productivity of your practice and obtain better visibility, which leads to better crown impressions and better fitting restorations.

That one advantage can change your practice, but there are numerous other applications. Gingival recontouring, soft tissue removal, frenectomy, soft tissue lesion removal, perio applications, and operculecotmies (all the ectomies) can be accomplished with diode lasers. Add in teeth whitening and TMJ and muscle pain treatment, and you have a multi-use tool.

In addition to troughing, it can be used for slight gingival recontouring to even out two centrals prior to prepping, or in the operculectomy to expose that second molar that is decayed or a fibroma that your patient has had for years but won’t go to the oral surgeon to have removed. The periodontal applications and the ability to transform your hygiene department are other reasons to add it today.

Henry Schein has partnered with CAO Dental to provide two diode laser solutions.

The CAO SHP laser offers amazing technology, all the power you need, and the ability to whiten and provide pain therapy for TMJ and muscle application. The SHP laser has an output of five watts, which can be used in a continuous or pulsed mode to contour or remove tissue. This laser also comes with a whitening attachment that has an application time of less than 20 minutes and a pain therapy handpiece to treat TMJ pain and muscle pain. Applications for bio-stimulation (healing of tissues, extraction sites and photo coagulation) can also be accomplished with this handpiece.

The unique feature of the SHP laser system is the incorporation of an iPod, which controls the laser by touch screen. One of my favorite features is the ability to use the iPod to take pre- and post-op pictures of the procedure and store them on the device where you can view them for future cases.

The CAO LTM laser doesn’t have the whitening or pain therapy handpiece or the iPod, but it provides plenty of power, ease of use, and great hygiene applications at a slightly lower investment.

Both CAO lasers offer reliability, great customer support, online training, and one-on-one clinical support with a practicing laser user who has over 15 years of experience. (I know because I provide this support.)

Take the leap into laser technology, and change the way you practice dentistry. Feel free to call me personally. I’ll be glad to help answer your questions.

Dr. Koceja practices in Vancouver, WA and can be reached by email at [mkoceja@comcast.net](mailto: mkoceja@comcast.net) or phone: 760-500-6189.

Originally published in Sidekick Magazine