Solea® All-Tissue Laser by Convergent Dental: A Cut Above the Rest
Compendium features peer-reviewed articles and continued education opportunities on restorative techniques, clinical insights, and dental innovations, offering essential knowledge for dental professionals.
January 1, 2017
Volume 38, Issue 1, January 2017
Page(s): p. 56
In his practice, Andrew Spector, DMD, prides himself on providing minimally invasive care and superior advanced laser dentistry for his patients. After 11 years of using all previously available wavelengths, when it came to selecting a true all-tissue laser, his choice was clear. “I was looking for bloodless, anesthesia-free, hard- and soft-tissue laser dentistry, and the Solea® attracted me based on those capabilities and many more,” Spector says.
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This laser is very easy to use and extremely versatile. “About 95% of my operative dentistry is performed with Solea and close to 99% of those are done without anesthesia and without a drill. Its ability to vaporize decay was a huge upgrade from previous experiences. We use it for periodontal treatment with the Ultraguide handpiece, such as periodontal reattachment procedures and gingivectomies. I also use it for soft-tissue osseous crown lengthening, esthetic recontouring, frenectomies, and desensitization—it is really an incredibly versatile instrument,” explains Spector.
Solea has three handpieces—the Contra-Angle, Straight, and Ultraguide. All three handpieces are crafted from stainless steel and ergonomically designed to feel virtually weightless in the clinician’s hand. The Contra-Angle and Straight handpieces are the go-to tools for basic hard- and soft-tissue procedures. The Ultraguide uses hollow waveguide attachments of various sizes designed specifically for cutting soft tissue and accessing the periodontal pocket.
Its variable-speed foot pedal is unique among lasers in dentistry. The foot pedal increases control and makes for an intuitive, easy transition from the drill because it operates just like one. Spector adds, “I press harder on the foot pedal, and it cuts faster; I press softer on the foot pedal, and it cuts slower just like a handpiece—this is one of my favorite features of Solea. You can move freely from hard tissue to soft tissue, and there’s rarely a need to stop and change settings. There is a learning curve for some dentists to trust that if they push their foot down on the pedal all the way, they’re not going to hurt the patient. But this worry is overcome quickly after doing just a few procedures.
“Using this laser is thoroughly intuitive. There’s no learning of joules and hertz; you don’t have to keep going back to your unit to change energies and settings to change the effect—all of that is easily controlled by the foot pedal,” Spector says. Solea was designed for everyday dentists; one day of training is all one needs to be able to successfully operate the device. It has a familiar handpiece, easy-to-navigate touchscreen, and a variable-speed foot pedal, guaranteeing an easy transition.
Upon purchase of Solea, dentists receive world-class training and support augmented by online courseware that is available before and after their initial training. They are given access to soleadoctors.com, a website where they can discover all the capabilities, learn new procedures, and collaborate with other dentists sharing clinical techniques using Solea.
Spector emphasizes, “My practice has always been based on technology-driven approaches; after trying Solea and seeing its effectiveness, I knew it was going to permeate a lot of aspects of what we do. That is truly what attracted me to it, and it has been a really transformative instrument for my practice.”
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