Perform an Array of Soft-Tissue Procedures Efficiently With DentaLaze
Compendium features peer-reviewed articles and continuing education opportunities on restorative techniques, clinical insights, and dental innovations, offering essential knowledge for dental professionals.
January 1, 2024
Volume 45, Issue 1, January 2024
Page(s):
Chad C. Duplantis, DDS, FAGD, has practiced cosmetic and restorative dentistry in Fort Worth, Texas, for 20-plus years and has always been open to adding to his clinical skills and adopting cutting-edge technology. One of his early investments in advanced technology for his practice was a diode dental laser.
"The laser enabled us to perform minor soft-tissue procedures without having to refer," Duplantis says. "Ultimately, being able to keep this [treatment] within our clinical practice was beneficial to both the patient and the clinician. Immediately after introduction, we took a certification course and realized that there were so many capabilities."
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Most recently, Duplantis has incorporated the DentaLaze wireless diode laser from Shofu into his practice. "This laser boasts a 3-watt constant and 5-watt pulsed infrared power and operates at 808 nm," he notes. "The power and durable encasing allow the practitioner to perform multiple soft-tissue procedures with extreme efficiency, and at a very affordable price. We have been using the DentaLaze for the past several months and have been amazed at both the quality of construction and the minimal footprint it requires in our office. It is truly a ‘grab-and-go' tool in our armamentarium that is always available for use."
Featuring a compact, ergonomic design ideal for anterior and posterior applications, the DentaLaze is marketed to accomplish a variety of soft-tissue procedures with an emphasis on patient comfort and minimal healing time. Duplantis utilizes DentaLaze for such procedures as excision of lesions for biopsies, pigmentation removal, frenectomies, vestibuloplasties, gingival recontouring, pontic site preparation, gingival troughing, aphthous ulcer and herpetic lesion decontamination/desensitization, implant exposure, and periodontal therapies, among others.
"Unlike most dental lasers, the cutting capabilities of a diode are best when it comes into contact with soft tissue," explains Duplantis, who has completed both the Advanced and Masters series at the Center for Aesthetic Restorative Dentistry in Dallas. "The diode laser beam operates through an activated fiberoptic glass tip that heats and cuts the tissue. This creates a bloodless and clean surgical site, which rarely requires sutures and results in minimal postoperative pain."
Diode lasers, he adds, also have useful applications with an unactivated tip that does not come into contact with the tissue. "Additionally, the power, or watts, used can change the intended effect of the laser. It is, therefore, imperative that dental lasers have adjustable parameters that allow us to perform multiple, different procedures."
A dental laser such as DentaLaze is a "great addition to any clinical setup," Duplantis suggests. "Lasers are a ‘must-have' and the DentaLaze is extremely affordable. As I often say, ‘The laser is something that you won't need for every patient, but it is a piece of technology that every dental team needs.'"
Chad C. Duplantis, DDS
Private Practice, Fort Worth, Texas; Fellow, Academy of General Dentistry
Shofu Dental Corp.
800-827-4638
shofu.com
