Dental Lasers FAQ |
Q#1: How does a diode laser work?
Q#2: Does Spectrum manufacture their lasers?
Q#3: How long has Spectrum been in the dental laser business?
Q#4: How many different lasers has Spectrum developed?
Q#5: How much maintenance does a Spectralase require?
Q#6: What is the repair and service history of Spectralase?
Q#7: Why should I buy Spectralase instead of other diode lasers?
Q#8: Can soft tissue procedures be performed with a topical anesthetic only?
Q#9: Is it important what type of a laser module is used in manufacturing a dental diode laser?
Q#10: What is the difference between Continuous Wave and Pulse Modes?
Q#11: What is the advantage of Elite Pulse over other pulse modes?
Q#12: When should a clinician use the GentlePulse mode and Continuous Wave?
Q#13: Why doesn’t Spectralase have procedure pre-sets?
Q#14: Is Spectralase diode laser safe?
Q#15: Do orthodontists charge a fee for laser procedures?
Q#16: Do patients accept lasers?
Q#17: How long is your warranty?
Q#18: What type of training do you offer?
Q#19: Are your lasers calibrated? |
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| Q#1: How does a diode laser work? |
| Diode lasers have a wavelength that is specifically attracted to melanin (pigmented tissue). A clinician can contact tooth, metal, or bone without adverse effects because the wavelength is not attracted to them. Soft tissue procedures using a quality diode laser are performed easily, quickly, and with precision by vaporizing soft tissue at a very low power setting without bleeding, swelling, or pain. |
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| Q#2: Does Spectrum manufacture their lasers? |
| Yes, Spectrum is one of the few laser companies that actually build and safety test their own lasers. |
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| Q#3: How long has Spectrum been in the dental laser business? |
| Spectrum has been manufacturing dental lasers since 1996. |
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Q#4: How many different lasers has Spectrum developed?
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| Spectralase Elite is the 6th generation dental laser. Dr Bekov has developed over a dozen different medical and ophthalmic lasers. |
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| Q#5: How much maintenance does a Spectralase require? |
| None |
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| Q#6: What is the repair and service history of Spectralase? |
| Only two lasers have needed repair since 2006. Both were simple foot pedal problems. |
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Q#7: Why should I buy Spectralase instead of other diode lasers?
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| There are many reasons, but the most important is that a laser physicist with 30 years experience manufacturing medical lasers designed and builds Spectralase. After 18 months of testing, Spectralase was chosen by Dentsply/GAC as the only laser they would sell over numerous available diode lasers. |
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| Q#8: Can soft tissue procedures be performed with a topical anesthetic only? |
| Yes, TAC 20 is adequate for most procedures except when using CW on thick fibrous tissue. |
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| Q#9: Is it important what type of a laser module is used in manufacturing a dental diode laser? |
Yes, this is the major difference between an inferior discount laser and a quality laser.
Please view our “All Lasers Are Not The Same” presentation on the home page. |
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| Q#10: What is the difference between Continuous Wave and Pulse Modes? |
| CW is a solid stream of energy that does not allow time for tissue cooling. CW can produce charred tissue and patient discomfort. Pulse modes provide a pulse of laser energy with intervals for cooling. |
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| Q#11: What is the advantage of Elite Pulse over other pulse modes? |
| Elite Pulse delivers short pulses with a duration of 10 millionths of a second and an amplitude of 6-7 watts. These energy levels are high enough to cause coagulation of surface tissue and have bacteriocidal properties. Spectralase Elite automatically adjusts the pulse interval depending on the wattage setting. The higher the wattage, the longer the interval, allowing time for the tissue cooling. The self adjusting pulse will deliver an average power that insures patient comfort and prevents tissue charring. Our research and clinical experience has led us to conclude this combination of variable pulse width and pulse interval is optimal for laser performance and tissue health. |
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| Q#12: When should a clinician use the GentlePulse mode and Continuous Wave? |
| GentlePulse for all procedures except very thick fibrous tissue. Using CW may cause a thin charred tissue layer which can be easily removed by wiping with hydrogen peroxide cotton rolls. Local anesthetic is sometimes required when using CW. |
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| Q#13: Why doesn’t Spectralase have procedure pre-sets? |
We believe pre-sets are useless because they cannot sense tissue type. A procedure setting will vary depending on pigmentation and fibrosity of the target tissue.
Our training will show the clinician that only two low settings are required. |
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| Q#14: Is Spectralase diode laser safe? |
| Spectralase has been safety tested to medical standards, far beyond FDA requirements. To our knowledge there has never been an accident caused by a diode laser since its introduction to dentistry in 1996 or by an Nd:YAG (similar soft tissue dental) since it was introduced in 1991. |
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| Q#15: Do orthodontists charge a fee for laser procedures? |
Billing dental insurance is part of our training . A few examples are:
surgical exposure (07280) $300-400; gingivectomy single (04211) $100-300; gingivectomy quadrant (4210) $300-400. Surveys have shown no opposition to an orthodontist billing a child’s dental insurance because they rarely reach their yearly insurance maximum. Some GPs did object to billing insurance for an adult. |
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| Q#16 :Do patients accept lasers? |
| Children are not afraid of lasers. Parents especially appreciate shorter treatment time, fewer injections and the reduction or elimination of expensive trips to a specialist. |
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| Q#17: How long is your warranty? |
| We include a 3 year warranty. Since we actually manufacture our own lasers we also do our own repairs. We have only repaired two lasers since 2006. |
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| Q#18: What type of training do you offer? |
| We include training exclusively for orthodontists and also offer advanced training; including live patient, human cadavers, animal jaws, and certification courses. |
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| Q#19 :Are your lasers calibrated? |
| Yes, every laser is calibrated to +/-2% accuracy by a laser physicist. Without calibration you cannot control the power!. |
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