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Practice Management with Dental LasersVipul Kumar Srivastava, MDS; Shally Mahajan, MDS, Lucknow, India

J Laser Dent 2011;19(2):213-215

I N T R O D U C T I O N

In our experience, a dental patientin a modern office has certainexpectations: treatment should beless painful, more precise, less inva-sive with less bleeding, betterhealing, and fewer appointments.Fortunately, the practice of dentistryhas been revolutionized andmodernized so that our procedureshave become more patient-friendly.

Over the last few decades lasershave rapidly emerged as veryhelpful, high-technology tools. Theyhave become an important aspect of

our everyday lives, ranging from ourcomputer printers, laser pointers,compact discs players, militarydefense programs, entertainment,and now in our practice of dentistry.

This paper discusses some of theimportant issues associated withlasers in dental practice manage-ment: the benefits of adopting lasersin a dental practice, what the clini-cian must know before purchasing alaser, revenue generation, safetymeasures, marketing, and updating yourself and your staff.

We hope that this article widensthe horizon and also answers some of the queries of many dentists world-wide who are a bit apprehensive of introducing lasers as an armamen-tarium in their daily practice.

B E N E F I T S O FA D O P T I N G L A S E R SOver time, modern dentistry hasevolved to a minimally invasive

approach where the main aim is

conservation of maximum toothstructure along with its function.The rapid development of lasertechnology has led to its use inperiodontics, restorative dentistry,pediatric dentistry, aestheticdentistry, dental implantology,endodontics, orthodontics, prostho-dontics, and oral and maxillofacialsurgery.

Lasers are not new to dentistry preliminary investigations dateback to 1964 but many practi-tioners are apprehensive to

introduce them into their dailyclinical practice.

The benefits of adopting a laserto increase dental practice are abun-dant. An anxious patient feels moreconfident, without the noise or vibra-tion of the drill or smell of conventional dental care, and withthe fact that much of the treatmentcan be performed with no anaes-thesia or needle-free dentistry.These factors could transformpatients who were resistant toconventional treatment into oneswho readily accept treatment.Moreover, it is possible to performdentistry in all quadrants, therebysaving valuable time, especially inpediatric patients, and mentally andphysically challenged individuals.Parents especially appreciatekeeping their children happy. If apatients experiences with the laserare positive, then the practice willgrow in numbers due to increased

referrals. Lasers are especiallyhelpful in geriatric patients as thetechnology makes the proceduremore tolerable and can help over-come some of the barriers toproviding dental care including severe dental complexity, multiplemedical conditions, and diminishedfunctional status. In short, laserscan enable the dentist to renderbetter-quality dentistry.

B E F O R E P U R C H A S I N GD E N TA L L A S E R Before purchasing a dental laser,the practitioner should sort outlaser issues like the ergonomics of the instrument as well as the appli-cations to his or her practice.Currently, with the different typesof lasers available, a choice can bemade according to their clinicalindications for use.

For example, the erbium lasershave a potential of replacing the drillin selected situations; the carbon

dioxide laser is a valuable tool inoral surgery; the diode and Nd:YAGlasers can perform minor soft tissuesurgery; the argon laser can be usedfor soft tissue surgery and compositecuring; and most lasers can beadjunctively used in periodontaltherapy and esthetic dentistry.

So, if the clinicians practice isfocused primarily on soft tissueprocedures, any of the availablewavelengths are excellent choices.The addition of an erbium laser willenable a practitioner to furthercomplete a greater number of proce-dures on both hard and soft tissues.

Studies have shown how patientsprefer the lasers comfort and lack of noise and vibration, and literaturehas demonstrated benefits such asdisinfection and reduction of pulpaltemperature compared to a high-speed bur. More recent articlesdiscuss such benefits as potentialenamel hardening, reduction of

Srivastava and Mahajan

Vipul Kumar Srivastava, MDS Shally Mahajan, MDS

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advantage. In an era characterizedby rapid change and uncertainty,successful organizations depend onknowledge as their principal way tocreate value and ongoing growth.

Various Continuing DentalEducation (CDE) programs,lectures, workshops, conferences,and courses are available to helpthe dentist and staff learn andmaster laser techniques. The

Academy of Laser Dentistry (ALD)is one such organization devoted toclinical education, research, andthe development of standards andguidelines for the safe and effectiveuse of laser technology worldwide.

Founded in 1993, ALD includesamong its members top clinicians,academicians, and researchers inall laser wavelengths. The mainobjective of these courses and acad-emies is to understand laserphysics, and promote safe andeffective use of lasers on patients.

C O N C L U S I O NLasers are the key to our futuresuccess. They are high-technologyand state-of-the-art instruments.The introduction of lasers will defi-

nitely unlock doors for us toperform a wide variety of dentalprocedures to benefit our patientsand our profitability, thereby taking our practices from good to great.

A C K N O W L E D G M E N TOur special thanks to Dr. Donald J.Coluzzi for motivating us to writethis article.

A U T H O R B I O G R A P H I E SDr. Vipul Kumar Srivastava gradu-ated from Manipal University, andreceived his masters degree inconservative dentistry from theRajiv Gandhi University of HealthSciences (RGUHS) India. He hasreceived laser training from theSharjah University Laser Training and Research Center (SULTARC)in the United Arab Emirates, ALDItaly, Istanbul, and a mastersdegree from the InternationalSociety for Oral Laser Applications

(SOLA) in Vienna, Austria.Currently he is working as an

Associate Professor in the BabuBanarasi Das University College of Dental Sciences in Lucknow, India.He is an active member of theIndian Endodontic Society, IndianDental Association, and Academy of Laser Dentistry. Dr. Srivastavamay be contacted by e-mail at

vipul13@gmail.com .Dr. Shally Mahajan graduated

from RGUHS in India and receiveda masters degree in OrthodonticDentistry from RGUHS. She ismember of the Indian OrthodonticSociety and the Indian Dental

Association. Currently she isteaching as a Reader in theBBDCODS in Lucknow, India. Shehas received additional training inaesthetic dentistry, orthodontics,and laser dentistry. Dr. Mahajanmay be contacted by e-mail atdrshally23@gmail.com .

Disclosures: Neither Dr. Srivastavanor Dr. Mahajan has any financialinterests with any manufacturers.

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