Read this article now - Try Goliath Business News - FREE!   
You can view this article PLUS...

• Over 5 million business articles
• Hundreds of the most trusted magazines, newswires, and journals (see list)
• Premium business information that is timely and relevant
• Unlimited Access

Tell Me More   Terms and Conditions

Purchase this article for $4.95

...preview rest of the series:

Last month: Overcoming skepticism about lasers.

In April: How lasers allow you to perform new procedures.

In May: What lasers can do for your bottom line.

When I purchased nay Er, Cr:YSGG laser, I had been in practice for 29 years. As much as I love clinical work, it's easy to become bored performing the same procedures time and again. Laser technology made me excited about dentistry in ways I hadn't felt in years. It was a new challenge. It was a different, more predictable and more efficient approach to procedures I had performed for years. As I learned more, I could do more. Though I use my laser with almost every patient all day long, dentistry no longer feels routine.

One of the myths of laser-assisted dentistry is that the technology is only good for those rare, exceedingly complex cases. I've discovered the exact opposite. I use my laser to accomplish everyday hard- and soft-tissue procedures all day, every day.

Needle-free dentistry

One of the primary reasons I purchased my laser was to do needle-free and needle-less dentistry. This is an important distinction, especially as you shop for the laser that best suits your practice. Many dental lasers on the market can perform the same hard- and/or soft-tissue procedures, but not all of them can perform them needle-free or needle-less. I define needle-free as not ever needing to use a regular local anesthetic injection for a procedure. I define needle-less as needing to use a regular local anesthetic significantly less because the laser technology is at my disposal. This distinction is very important. No laser on the market totally eliminates the need for a local anesthetic injection for all dental procedures.

For example, since learning laser-assisted techniques, I have not used a local anesthetic injection in any of my soft-tissue procedures; they are all accomplished needle-free. Instead, I use TAC GEL (Lidocaine 20%, Tetracaine 4%; Phenyephrine...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



More articles from Dental Practice Report
Giving back: cause-related marketing can have a powerful impact on you..., March 01, 2007
Think big: boosting production will help this dentist better serve his..., March 01, 2007

Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.

Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication name or publication date.

About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company analysis or best practices in managing your organization, Goliath can help you meet your business needs.

Our extensive business information databases empower business professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible, authoritative information they need to support their business goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting, company research or defining management best practices - Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.