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Issue #17 - 4.10.07
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Soft Tissue Lasers
The modern dental practice continues to grow at a rapid pace. Many dental practices continue to work towards developing a “chartless” or “paperless” practice, where they can eliminate the physical patient chart and in some cases, most other paper-based systems in the office. Over the past 6-7 years, the technology that has been moving offices forward has been digital radiography, although the market penetration of this technology is till only around 25-30%. The next technology that seems poised for a major leap is lasers, and in particular, soft tissue lasers.
Give Them What They Want
The main focus of any practice is to provide our patients with the treatment and care that they obviously need. However, in 2007, many of our patients consider themselves to also be consumers. Meaning, it may not be enough to give them what they need, but also what they want at the same time. If you speak with any of the well-known practice management consultants like Sally McKenzie, they will all tell you the same thing: from a marketing standpoint, it’s far more effective to market to your existing patients than it is to try to bring in new patients. To accomplish this, we need to give the patients what they want. How do we know what that is? Easily…they’ve been telling us that for years. Patients want procedures that are “less”. Specifically, they want treatment that is painless, needle-less, drill-less, and bloodless. Thankfully, soft tissue lasers meet all of these criteria.
The Right Fit
s with any modern technology, it’s not necessarily the ideal product for every dentist out there. In working with offices all over North America, I’ve identified what I consider to be the four main types of candidates for soft tissue lasers:
- Dentists interested in patient comfort and conservative care. One of the catchphrases that have become popular lately is this concept of “minimally invasive dentistry”. Many dentists want to do as little damage as possible, remove as little tissue as they can, and make the procedure as comfortable as possible for their patients.
- Quality of treatment. Dentists are always looking for a better “mousetrap”, a way to do the old procedures more effectively than in the past. While there are many good selling points to the soft tissue lasers, one of the key ones is the fact that with a laser, the dentist can be more accurate, more precise, and have a more predictable outcome from the procedure.
- Efficiency. Many dental procedures involve a lot of wasted time. Imagine how much more efficient the office could be if they could immediately stop bleeding and have a dry field. This would cut down on the chair time needed and allow the practice to see more patients in the day.
- Finally, related to efficiency, would be the ability of the practice to become more profitable. Not only will they see increased efficiency, but they should more soft tissue procedures being done. This is because if the practice markets their use of the soft tissue laser properly, they will see an increase in the number of new patients coming into the practice.
So…What Do They Do?
Basically, any soft tissue procedure that a dentist can think of can most likely be done with a soft tissue laser. Some of the most commonly done procedures include: sulcular debridement, frenectomies, soft tissue crown lengthening, biopsies, fibroma removals, incision and drainage, second stage implant uncovering, removal of moles and hemangiomas, removal of hyperplastic tissue, uncovering of unerupted teeth for orthodontics, and treatment of herpetic lesions and aphthous ulcers. Some offices are even using soft tissue lasers during endodontic therapy for debridement of the canals. If you can think of a procedure that has been done in the past with a scalpel blade or electrosurgery unit, then you’ve thought of an excellent use for the soft tissue laser.
Soft Tissue lasers are slowly being recognized as a great addition to any office. Dentists who invest in soft tissue lasers will find that they can do their work more accurately and with a more predictable result. At the same time, they will attract new patients, keep their existing patients happy, and be able to provide a wider range of services to them. For the dental practitioner, the time to consider a soft tissue laser is now!
Lorne Lavine, DMD is the Founder and President of Dental Technology Consultants. Dr. Lavine holds two prestigious certifications, the A+ Certified Technician designation and the Network+ Certified Professional. These designations demonstrate proficiency in computer repair, operating systems, network design and installation. Dental Technology Consultants provide dentists a full range of services relating to the implementation of technology.
Dr. Lavine can be reached directly at 1.866.204.3398.
Interested in speaking to Dr. Lavine about your technology concerns? Email him at Drlavine@thedentistsnetwork.net
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