By Dr. Renee Kurtz
As I have followed the emergence of dental lasers over the years, I never jumped into getting one before because many were for only certain types of procedures. When the Solea Laser came out, it offered the opportunity to handle all kinds of tissue – and this new change has made a major impact on my practice. This has led to significant new patient growth, as well as higher rates of treatment acceptance. I have a small practice in Cheshire, Connecticut with three operatories. I decided to bring in the Solea Laser initially to prep teeth without Novocain. Since then, my use of it has blossomed. I use it for many different soft tissue procedures – and even to help patients to stop snoring!
TACKLING PATIENT ANXIETY
The Solea All-Tissue Laser enables dentists to perform many procedures without anesthesia and without bleeding. Most patients don’t like getting needles or having that numb feeling from Novocain, so being able to take away that anxiety is incredible for my patients.
It also takes away some of my own anxiety when treating a patient because you no longer have to use a needle, and that’s particularly helpful when caring for children. When patients know they have an upcoming appointment and they're not going to feel any pain and they're not going to have the needles, it's a much more comfortable experience. The sound of the drill can intimidate and cause anxiety in patients, where Solea takes that experience away and helps patients feel more at ease – and much happier to come in for a dental visit.
SAVING TIME, CREATING AN EFFICIENT WORKFLOW
When you eliminate the time typically needed to numb a patient, you can work faster to start treating the patient sooner. Instead of having to wait for numbness to set in with the patient, I am able to eliminate time in my treatment workflows. This adds more time to my day and I am able to see more patients with this new added time. I’m not only adding more time to my day, I’m speeding up the treatment process so patient’s can add more time back to their day as well. They’re able to walk away after treatment without feeling numb and continue their day.
A MAJOR GAME CHANGER
Bleeding is always an issue with subgingival restorations which often slows down the treatment process. If it gets into the restoration, it can cause several issues down the road. Solea Laser has made my restoration processes smoother and faster by eliminating bleeding.
INCREASING REVENUES
When you have a patient who sits through restorations with no Novocain, they talk about it. I’ve had a huge jump in new patients since incorporating Solea Laser into my practice with people actively seeking me out because of this innovation. Patients are thrilled with the treatment procedure and can’t wait to talk about their experience in the dental office. In just one year, I increased the number of new patients by 300 percent and increased my monthly revenues by roughly 35 percent per month.
ADDING NEW PROCEDURES TO EXPAND MY PRACTICE CAPABILITIES
Not only am I able to work more efficiently doing general dentistry, but I’ve been able to incorporate even more procedures into my practice. Since acquiring the Solea Laser in 2019, I’ve been performing frenectomies, lingual and buccal, fibroma removals, gingivectomies, canker sores and cold sores, and same-day crown lengthening. All around, patients receive better outcomes and a faster healing time.
The Solea All-Tissue Laser can be used for a wide range of procedures, including:
Crown Lengthening: Solea Laser can be used to perform same-day crown lengthening, without having to lay a slab. In my practice, I also have the Dentsply Sirona CEREC system, so I’m able to prep a tooth while the tooth is being milled, go in and lengthen, without having to cut any tissue back. By the time I’m done, the crown is ready. I don’t have to refer a patient out and go for a consult. Everything is done on the same day.
Crown Removals: Solea Laser can also be used to remove any sort of zirconia, Emax, or ceramic restoration. As you are lasering the porcelain, this causes microfractures which make it easier to take off the crown. Instead of burning through multiple burrs to remove it, you make an incision in it so that when you go in with your handpiece, it’s very easy to take it off. It takes just a minute instead of the 10-15 minutes it used to take to remove a crown.
Uncovering Implants: Uncovering implants is a breeze with Solea Laser, especially with the added bonus of no bleeding. As you remove it, you can sculpt the tissue to get the emergence profile. If you’re using this in the anterior, make sure you get a good emergence profile to sculpt the tissue. You can take an impression or scan right away because there's no bleeding!
Lesion Removal: When I get patients who come in for a hygiene visit and I find a small lesion, I can now remove that in 5-10 minutes instead of having to reappoint them. Solea also disinfects the surface that you’re leaving.
Reliable Procedures You Can Do: Pigment a patient’s tissue, perform gingival troughing, and do implant exposures! There are a few instances where a topical might be needed, but there’s no need for sutures including minimal bleeding. Being able to perform these procedures is truly a game-changer in my practice especially if I’m working on restorations.
Tackle Sleep Issues: With Solea Sleep, you can help patients stop snoring without placing an appliance, and without any surgery or sutures. This low-power application constricts the collagen fibers in the soft palate in the uvula, tightening it up so that the tissue is no longer “flabby” that causes the vibration that we get snoring from. When this tightens up, it also shrinks the tissue, which opens up the airway more. Patients are then able to breathe and sleep better (and so are their partners because they’re not snoring).
Being able to offer my patients a solution to snoring has been incredible. Within 10 minutes, I am able to perform the procedure with patient’s telling me how this has changed their lives. I’ve received so many internal referrals from patients who have had a Solea Sleep procedure that word has spread like wildfire.
BETTER PRACTITIONER + PATIENT EXPERIENCES = BETTER OUTCOMES
Instead of getting weighed down with the daily drill-and-fill of dentistry, you can expand your practice in countless different ways with the Solea laser. From incorporating soft tissue procedures to offering sleep procedures, the Solea All-Tissue Laser opens so many new doors for your practice – and makes work much more exciting every day. I’m able to perform hundreds of additional soft tissue procedures a year because I’m able to work faster.
If you’re interested in learning more about adding Solea to your practice, schedule a call today with a Henry Schein Representative at www.henryscheindigital.com/soleaexperience!