NEWS & ARTICLES
NEWS &
ARTICLES
Latest News
Notes and Articles
Erbium lasers in dentistry
News

Lumenis / OpusDent gets FDA clearance for laser bone removal
BIOLASE gets continuation patent
OmniGuide reports clinical results with hollow photonic-crystal fiber for CO
2 laser delivery
Millennium Dental gets FDA clearance for Laser ANAP
BIOLASE launches new Waterlase MD product at ADA Annual Meeting


Notes and Articles

Millennium Dental Technologies breaks new ground in the dental laser world
Diode laser prices continue to drop
Ivoclar Vivadent enters the dental laser market
Erbium lasers in dentistry




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Contract Manufacturing, Distribution, High Technology, Materials and Heavy Equipment

Many of the online directories focus towards one market segment or audience profile. Here, we target the "best in class" for each of the served markets by industry leaders in their respective fields. Find a category that you feel is most relevant to the content of your site, or that attracts a customer demographic you wish to reach. Provide a title and URL and submit to this directory.

Corporate Business

Business web directory and online Internet marketing center, offering powerful promotion opportunities to your business and website. Maximize traffic to your website by submitting to the directory. Categorized in 7 main groups, including Consulting, Manufacturing, Internet Services, Professionals, Health, Pharmaceutical, Software & Telecommunications and Transportation.

Manufacturing- Contract Manufacturing

AS Twomey Manufacturing provides commercial marine towing as well as IT Consulting services in the regional area of  MA and sources IT Consulting, Licensed Seagoing Crew as a community partner.

Category: It Consulting, Licensed Seagoing Crew

Find out where you can get Syntactic foam. Since 2010, Mica-Tron has been listed in the Contract Manufacturing directory.

Category: Syntactic Foam

Find out where you can get phrase. Since 2010, Mica-Tron has been listed in the Contract Manufacturing directory.

Category: Phrase

Find out where you can get phrase. Since 2010, Mica-Tron has been listed in the Contract Manufacturing directory.

Category: Phrase

http://www.polyfab.biz allows users to search for the best MA Manufacturing for the ideal Custom Polypropylene Tanks company as a community partner.

Category: Custom Polypropylene Tanks

Company profile and product/services listings found at Contract Manufacturing Specializing in the MA industry, they are part of the looking for commercial property management services. section of the directory.Polyfab to solve the day-to-day operational details.

Category: Graduated Cylinders

A Contract Manufacturing company that develops, manufactures and blends performance-enhancing Oven Forming Acrylic for the Manufacturing market.

Category: Oven Forming Acrylic

Based in MA, Polyfab provides Polycarbonate Adhesive Bonding as a Contract Manufacturing engineered plastic fabrications company.

Category: Polycarbonate Adhesive Bonding

Specialize in ergonomic office computer workstation. Proline has, since 2005, been listed in the Contract Manufacturing directory.

Category: Ergonomic Office Computer Workstation

Manufacturing- Distribution

Online provider of Scale calibration, scale service, counting scale as an Distribution engineering and consulting manufacturers representative firm.

Category: Scale Calibration, Scale Service, Counting Scale

Manufacturing- High Technology

Sells new membrane switches, rotary switches, custom keyboards at competitive prices, primarily as a High Technology DoD engineering corporation.

Category: Membrane Switches, Rotary Switches, Custom Keyboards

Manufacturing- Materials & Heavy Equipment

Industrial company designs, manufactures and markets products, services and technologies including diamond cup wheels, superabrasives, diamond grinding wheels, precision surface grinding, used in the Materials and Heavy Equipment vertical marketplace.

Category: Diamond Cup Wheels, Superabrasives, Diamond Grinding Wheels, Precision Surface Grinding

JOWA Consilium offer our customers the greatest possible values on quality Metritape, Consilium, Liquid Level Gauging, Tank Level Gauging services. Member since 2001.

Category: Metritape, Consilium, Liquid Level Gauging, Tank Level Gauging

Manufacturing- Contract Manufacturing

As one of the area's privately-owned Manufacturing corporations, NES Technologies in MA Manufacturing provides component manufacturing and assembly work. Member since 1999.

Category: Component Manufacturing And Assembly Work

North American company selling to Manufacturing groups residential and commercial stone paving. Nantucket Pavers has been listed in MA Manufacturing since 2002.

Category: Residential And Commercial Stone Paving

As an institution, PMES Engineering has been a good corporate sponsor for the VA hot forging metals industry. A member of the directory since 2012 in the Manufacturing section.

Category: Hot Forging Metals Industry

Provides and builds electromechanical assembly, engineering, massachusetts. Found in the Manufacturing, Contract Manufacturing group in this directory.

Category: Electromechanical Assembly, Engineering, Massachusetts

Supplies material assemblies and subassemblies manufacturing in the Contract Manufacturing service arena.

Category: Material Assemblies And Subassemblies Manufacturing

AS Twomey Manufacturing provides commercial marine towing as well as IT Consulting services in the regional area of  MA and sources IT Consulting, Licensed Seagoing Crew as a community partner.

Category: It Consulting, Licensed Seagoing Crew

DavTech Plating is a registered member in the Manufacturing vertical market and services the area's needs. Visit us at http://host.web-print-design.com/davtech to see how we're helping our clients every day.

Category: Nickless Plating

Sells new and used Fiber Optics parts, attenuators, repeaters, splicing equipment at competitive prices, primarily as a Contract Manufacturing manufacturer and distribution warehouse company.

Category: Fiber Optics Parts, Attenuators, Repeaters, Splicing Equipment

Provides a complete range of Manufacturing and subcontracting services. Located in MA, Lavelle Machine services a broad range of retail, business, and institutional clients. Filed with Contract Manufacturing.

Category: Plating And Subassembly Manufacturing, Medical Machining

http://www.polyfab.biz allows users to search for the best MA Manufacturing for the ideal Graduated Cylinders company as a community partner.

Category: Graduated Cylinders

Company profile and product/services listings found at Contract Manufacturing Specializing in the MA industry, they are part of the Custom Polypropylene Tanks section of the directory.Polyfab to solve the day-to-day operational details.

Category: Custom Polypropylene Tanks

A Contract Manufacturing company that develops, manufactures and blends performance-enhancing Plastic Cones for the Manufacturing market.

Category: Plastic Cones

Based in MA, Polyfab provides Architectural Acrylic Displays as a Contract Manufacturing engineered plastic fabrications company.

Category: Architectural Acrylic Displays

Based in MA, Polyfab provides Clear Plastic Cylinders as a Contract Manufacturing prototyping and machining firm.

Category: Clear Plastic Cylinders

Online provider of Rivco doors, windows as an Contract Manufacturing general contractor manufacturers company.

Category: Rivco Doors, Windows

Offers home improvement products that includes Rivco Kitchen supplies, accessories, interior kitchen remodeling enhancement products. Since 2001, Rivco - Kitchen Division has been listed in the Contract Manufacturing directory.

Category: Rivco Kitchen Supplies, Accessories, Interior Kitchen Remodeling Enhancement Products

Specialize in ergonomic office computer workstation. Proline has, since 2005, been listed in the Contract Manufacturing directory.

Category: Ergonomic Office Computer Workstation

Specialized in Contract Manufacturing with operations and headquarters in MA, GES - Manufacturing Division is a leading national provider of component manufacturing. Directory listing since 2000.

Category: Contract Manufacturing

IntegraTech - Corporate has been a trusted partner for MA Contract Manufacturing fellow firms since 2001, providing sound resource management for Manufacturing members.

Category: Contract Manufacturing

Contract Manufacturing company with operations in MA providing CNC machining and component assembly services to regional manufacturing operations. Became a member of this listing in 2000. Member of the Manufacturing group.

Category: Contract Manufacturing

Find out where you can get Macor. Since 2016, Mica-Tron has been listed in the Contract Manufacturing directory.

Category: Macor

Providing high quality new Syntactic foam. Since 2016, Mica-Tron has been listed in the Contract Manufacturing directory.

Category: Syntactic Foam

Offers a range of Macor machining. Since 2016, Mica-Tron has been listed in the Contract Manufacturing directory.

Category: Macor Machining

milling, CNC machines, polypropylene router machining, router polyethylene

Category: Giant Plastic Cylinders

Providing a complete range of Contract Manufacturing, Proteq has been a good corporate sponsor for the NH Manufacturing board. A senior member of this listing since 2004 in the Manufacturing vertical.

Category: Contract Manufacturing

Manufacturing- Distribution

Shop Discrete Semiconductors in the Distribution category to find the best deals in MA for semiconductor sales.

Category: Semiconductor Sales

Electronic Products is committed to strengthening the Manufacturing industry through collective support, services, and leadership in providing Electronic Products services. Located in MA, Electronic Products has been an Affordable Distribution supplier since 2002.

Category: Distribution

McCarton Industrial

Category: Distribution

Industrial company designs, manufactures and markets products, services and technologies including Couplers, Attenuators, used in the Distribution industry

Category: Couplers, Attenuators

Provides and builds antistatic control products. Found in the Manufacturing, Distribution group in this directory.

Category: Antistatic Control Products

Electrical Controls is a registered member in the Manufacturing vertical market and services the area's needs. Visit us at http://host.web-print-design.com/electrical-controls to see how we're helping our clients every day.

Category: Distribution

Company profile and product/services listings found at http://host.web-print-design.com/acme. Specializing in the print, print brokerage and print production industry, they are part of the Manufacturing Distribution section of the directory.

Category: Print, Print Brokerage And Print Production

A leading source for supercomputer arrays from American Digital.

Category: Supercomputer Arrays

Sells new and used copy and dictation equipment at competitive prices, primarily as a Distribution specialist firm.

Category: Copy And Dictation Equipment

A producer of specialty semiconductors for the NH Distribution retail space.

Category: Semiconductors

Offers a range of used high technology medical research equipment consulting services and is posted in the Affordable Distribution market.

Category: Used High Technology Medical Research Equipment

Find out where you can get home health aids. Since 2001, Lomedco Medical has been listed in the Distribution directory.

Category: Home Health Aids

A stocking distributor with worldwide sales capacity and industrial supply, Lumipure in the Manufacturing market sells and services residential and commercial HVAC for smaller spaces in CT, and has been a member since 2000.

Category: Distribution

Supplies promotional plastic products manufacturing and distribution for the Manufacturing Distribution service area.

Category: Promotional Plastic Products Manufacturing And Distribution

Offers a range of products and services for markets including personal and corporate identification. Winco Identification has been a member since 2000 in the Distribution directory.

Category: Personal And Corporate Identification

Offers Distribution services for ergonomic seating equipment. Since 2000, Work Right has been listed in the Manufacturing directory.

Category: Ergonomic Seating Equipment

Online provider of Scale calibration, scale service, counting scale as an Distribution engineering and consulting manufacturers representative firm.

Category: Scale Calibration, Scale Service, Counting Scale

Furniture Installations provides fantastic values on all the latest decorating trends in the Manufacturing market. Specializes in Furniture Installations. Located in MA, Furniture Installations has been an Corporate Distribution supplier since 2001.

Category: Distribution

Nytek offer our customers the greatest possible values on quality space age material production services. Member since 2001.

Category: Space Age Material Production

A supplier of cat 5 and cat-5e cabling and located in RI, Warehouse Cables has been an Corporate Distribution supplier since 2005.

Category: Cat 5 And Cat-5E Cabling

Corporate Distribution service that provide opportunities to own reused medical equipment. Customized to your requirements by Elektra Medical.

Category: Reused Medical Equipment

Manufactures and engineers Identification Resources used for applications in the Distribution industrial marketplace.

Category: Distribution

Offers a range of services including static control flooring and ESD tiling. Julie Industries has been a member since 2001 in the Distribution directory.

Category: Static Control Flooring And Esd Tiling

Manufacturing- High Technology

A producer of specialty integrating sphere components for the NH High Technology retail space.

Category: Integrating Sphere Components

North American company selling to Manufacturing groups plasma systems. AST Products Inc has been listed in MA Manufacturing since 1999.

Category: Plasma Systems

Ibis v.02 is a registered member in the Manufacturing vertical market and services the area's needs. Visit us at http://host.web-print-design.com/ibis to see how we're helping our clients every day.

Category: High Technology

Company profile and product/services listings found at http://host.web-print-design.com/inphotonics. Specializing in the Raman industry, they are part of the Manufacturing High Technology section of the directory.

Category: Raman

A High Technology company that develops, manufactures and blends performance-enhancing optical lasers for the Manufacturing market.

Category: Optical Lasers

Providers of High Technology-related services and is located in CA for individuals and corporations photonics. Look toThermo Photonics to solve those complex transactional details.

Category: Photonics

Optelec

Category: High Technology

Provides and engineers specialty spheres and goniometers. Found in the Manufacturing, High Technology group in this directory.

Category: Specialty Spheres And Goniometers

Applied Science Labs

Category: High Technology

Manufactures and engineers Aerogels used for applications in the High Technology industrial marketplace.

Category: Aerogels

Specializing in the Manufacturing High Technology sector for on the internet, Ferrotec provides the best in .ferrofluidic seals.

Category: Ferrofluidic Seals

Offers High Technology services for printing equipment. Since 2009, Pro Iris has been listed in the Manufacturing directory.

Category: Printing Equipment

Senko Semiconductors

Category: High Technology

Offers a range of nuclear metals engineering, formulation and production consulting services and is posted in the Corporate High Technology market.

Category: Nuclear Metals Engineering, Formulation And Production

As one of the area's privately-owned Manufacturing corporations, Thermo Electron Colorado in CO Manufacturing provides liquid handling automation. Member since 2000.

Category: Liquid Handling Automation

Thermo Keytek

Category: High Technology

Industrial company designs, manufactures and markets products, services and technologies including nitrogen laser, used in the High Technology vertical marketplace.

Category: Nitrogen Laser

Manufacturing- Materials & Heavy Equipment

Offers a range of services including shipping supplies. Horn Packaging- Ayer has been a member since 1997 in the Materials and Heavy Equipment directory.

Category: Shipping Supplies

Offers home improvement products that includes construction marble and composites. Since 2002, Merrimack Stone has been listed in the Materials and Heavy Equipment directory.

Category: Construction Marble And Composites

Online provider of quarried marble, finished granite products, heavy decorative stonework as an Materials and Heavy Equipment general contractor manufacturers company.

Category: Quarried Marble, Finished Granite Products, Heavy Decorative Stonework

North American scientific and laboratory equipment company that manufactures chemical substrates. Since 1998, Chemworks has been listed in the Materials and Heavy Equipment directory.

Category: Chemical Substrates

Provides and builds gauging equipment. Found in the Manufacturing, Materials and Heavy Equipment group in this directory.

Category: Gauging Equipment

A supplier of international shipping and located in MA, Horn International has been an Affordable Materials and Heavy Equipment supplier since 1995.

Category: International Shipping

Manufactures and distributes Rubber Grommets, Rubber Seals, Rubber Molding. Found in the Manufacturing, Materials and Heavy Equipment group in this directory.

Category: Rubber Grommets, Rubber Seals, Rubber Molding

Poly-Flex Circuits is a registered member in the Manufacturing vertical market and services the area's needs. Visit us at http://host.web-print-design.com/polyflex to see how we're helping our clients every day.

Category: Flexible Circuitboards

Manufactures and engineers veterinary testing equipment used for applications in the Materials and Heavy Equipment vertical marketplace.

Category: Veterinary Testing Equipment

Company profile and product/services listings found at http://host.web-print-design.com/stc. Specializing in the transistor test and validation equipment industry, they are part of the Manufacturing Materials and Heavy Equipment section of the directory.

Category: Transistor Test And Validation Equipment

Manufactures and engineers mechanical rollers used for applications in the Materials and Heavy Equipment industrial marketplace.

Category: Mechanical Rollers

Specializing in the Manufacturing Materials and Heavy Equipment sector for over a decade on the internet, Abenaki Timber provides the best in .timber management and reforestation products and services.

Category: Timber Management And Reforestation Products And Services

Provides and builds Precision machined components, CNC Swiss screw machining. Found in the Manufacturing, Materials and Heavy Equipment group in this directory.

Category: Precision Machined Components, Cnc Swiss Screw Machining

Offers a range of solutions in the large scale food service production equipment market. Consultant engineering services in the Materials and Heavy Equipment market.

Category: Large Scale Food Service Production Equipment

Bascom Turner

Category: Materials And Heavy Equipment

Sells new and used curb, vibration isolation, curb machine, burglar bar at competitive prices, primarily as a Materials and Heavy Equipment heavy new and rebuild constuction group.

Category: Curb, Vibration Isolation, Curb Machine, Burglar Bar

Industrial company designs, manufactures and markets products, services and technologies including diamond cup wheels, superabrasives, diamond grinding wheels, precision surface grinding, used in the Materials and Heavy Equipment vertical marketplace.

Category: Diamond Cup Wheels, Superabrasives, Diamond Grinding Wheels, Precision Surface Grinding

Provider of rolling diaphragms, diaphragm seals, rubber diaphragms, molded elastomer diaphragms, silicon diaphragms, dish diaphragms and engineering services. at competitive prices, primarily as a Materials and Heavy Equipment Manufacturing for large scale production runs.

Category: Rolling Diaphragms, Diaphragm Seals, Rubber Diaphragms, Molded Elastomer Diaphragms, Silicon Diaphragms, Dish Diaphragms

Offers Materials and Heavy Equipment services for synthetic fiber. Since 2001, Majilite has been listed in the Manufacturing directory.

Category: Synthetic Fiber

Broomfield Laboratories

Category: Materials And Heavy Equipment

Provides and builds specialty custom cranes. Found in the Manufacturing, Materials and Heavy Equipment group in this directory.

Category: Specialty Custom Cranes

Distributor with worldwide sales capacity and industrial supply, Wilevco in the Manufacturing market sells and services high capacity commercial food service preparation equipment in MA, and has been a member since 2001.

Category: Automatic Batter Mixer With Viscosity Control

Provides and engineers print production and laminates. Found in the Manufacturing, Materials and Heavy Equipment group in this directory.

Category: Print Production And Laminates

 

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News

Lumenis / OpusDent gets FDA clearance for laser bone removal

3 January 2005; Yokneam, Israel – Lumenis Ltd. and its dental laser division, OpusDent Ltd., announced FDA clearance of the OpusDuotm Er:YAG laser for contact bone removal during oral surgery and periodontal procedures, using the company’s proprietary contact sapphire tip.

BIOLASE gets continuation patent

13 December 2004; San Clemente, CA – BIOLASE Technology Inc. announced it had been granted U.S. patent No. 6,821,272, which includes 111 claims covering its Waterlase® YSGG and Waterlase® MD erbium laser products. It is a continuation of U.S. Patent No. 6,288,499. The patents pertain to the specific laser pulse technology used in the Waterlase products which is claimed to allow the lasers to effectively interact with water spray to produce a fast, clean, and precise cutting action on dental hard and soft tissues.

OmniGuide reports clinical results with hollow photonic crystal fiber for CO2 laser delivery

30 November 2004; Cambridge, MA – OmniGuide Communications Inc. announced the first clinical results achieved with its hollow-core, photonic crystal fiber for delivering CO2 laser energy. A prototype OmniGuide Fiber was used by Dr. Jamie Koufman at the Center for Voice and Swallowing Disorders of Wake Forest University to treat recurrent respiratory papillomas (RRP) in patients who suffered from near-total obstruction of the larynx and trachea.

The OmniGuide Fiber was used to deliver CO2 laser energy through a flexible Pentax endoscope and treat patients on an outpatient basis. Patients were awake during the procedure and received no anesthesia other than spraying a numbing spray in the throat and trachea. Patients went home immediately after the surgery. When it can be used, this procedure is expected to reduce RRP treatment costs by several tens of thousands of dollars per surgery.

Hollow-core photonic crystal waveguides offer important advantages compared to conventional hollow waveguides for CO2 laser delivery, including longer lengths, reduced bending losses, and improved beam quality. Photonic crystal waveguides are not yet offered for use with CO2 lasers in soft-tissue dental applications, but such products are probably not far off in the future. A more in-depth discussion of photonic crystal fibers and waveguides will appear in an up-coming issue of DAAL™ Update On-line Newsletter.

Millennium Dental gets FDA clearance for Laser ANAP

8 October 2004; Cerritos, CA – Millennium Dental Technologies announced it had received the first FDA clearance ever for MDT’s Laser ANAP® procedure. The specific claim or labeling cleared by FDA is “cementum-mediated new periodontal ligament attachment to the root surface in the absence of long junctional epithelium.” MDT’s Laser ANAP and patented Laser Periodontal Therapy (LPT) procedures are performed with MDT’s PerioLase® MVP-7 pulsed Nd:YAG laser, and are used to treat chronic periodontal gum disease in a minimally-invasive fashion. See Section 11 of DAAL-2004 for more information on the PerioLase MVP-7, Laser ANAP, and LPT.

BIOLASE launches new Waterlase MD product at ADA Annual Meeting

7 October 2004; San Clemente, CA – BIOLASE Technology, Inc. announced successful launch of its new flagship dental erbium laser product for hard and soft tissue dental applications, Waterlase® MD, at the ADA conference held in Orlando, FL from October 1 to 3, 2004. BIOLASE reports it received more than $2.6 million in orders during the three-day conference.

The Waterlase MD provides many new ergonomic features and performance improvements, including a maximum pulse rate of 50 Hz for smoother cutting of soft tissue, and a long-pulse mode for improved hemostasis when cutting soft tissue. The new HydroBeam™ Illuminated Laser Handpiece facilitates hard-tissue applications on teeth and bone. See Section 9 of DAAL-2004 for more information on the Waterlase MD and a color photo.

Notes and Articles

Millennium Dental Technologies breaks new ground in the dental laser world

Millennium Dental Technologies continues to break new ground in the world of laser dentistry. Dr. Robert Gregg II, DDS, and Dr. Delwin McCarthy, DDS, have been performing laser dentistry since the mid-1980’s. In 1994, they founded MDT with the goal of providing dentists with a laser product that could cost-justify itself on the basis of one or two soft-tissue procedures performed with the laser. This was a very ambitious goal at the time. MDT was also the first company to offer a pulsed Nd:YAG laser that allows the practitioner to select among several different pulse durations, which MDT claims is critical to the success of the clinical procedures developed by the company. Other companies who offer pulsed Nd:YAG dental lasers have since followed MDT’s lead and now offer variable-pulse-duration products.

MDT has also proven to be a leader in the training of laser dentists. MDT will not ship a purchased laser until the dentist has completed MDT’s Laser BootCamp™ training program. This was also a rather bold concept in the world of laser dentistry back in the mid-1990’s.

Today, MDT’s PerioLase® MVP-7 pulsed Nd:YAG laser product is used to perform the company’s patented Laser Periodontal Therapy (LPT) procedure and its recently FDA-cleared Laser-Assisted New Attachment Procedure (Laser-ANAP®). These procedures allow a general dentist to perform soft-tissue management of chronic periodontal disease and treat many patients who would otherwise have to be referred out to a periodontist. The Laser-ANAP procedure is innovative in that it appears to involve a biostimulation-type laser-tissue interaction that, MDT thinks, stimulates the activity of stem cells present in the environment of the periodontal ligament.

Testimony to MDT’s market approach and success is provided by the fact that MDT has been able to significantly increase the number of lasers it sells annually even though it has raised the price of its pulsed Nd:YAG product from about $45K to $55K. (The laser price includes licenses to practice MDT’s LPT and Laser-ANAP procedures). This success appears to continue even though much lower-priced dental diode laser products, also intended for soft-tissue management applications in the oral cavity, are being introduced by more and more competitors.

Diode laser prices continue to drop

Semiconductor diode lasers intended for soft-tissue dental applications provide power levels of 2 to 5 watts (some as high as 10 watts) for general purpose cutting of gum tissue with hemostasis. Diode lasers compete with pulsed Nd:YAG, CO2, and argon lasers for use in soft tissue applications.

Many new diode laser products have appeared commercially in recent years that are extremely compact, reliable, and portable. These features are a direct result of the very high electrical-to-optical power efficiency enabled by semiconductor laser-based designs. Their main drawback is that diode lasers do not provide the high peak power levels provided by lasers such as pulsed Nd:YAG and Er:YAG lasers. High peak power capability enables pulsed Nd:YAG lasers to be used for some hard-tissue applications (removal of first-degree caries), and Er:YAG lasers to be used for all hard-tissue and soft-tissue applications. Diode lasers can be used only for soft-tissue procedures, and as a heat source during laser tooth whitening procedures.

The technology of semiconductor diode lasers continues to evolve rapidly. Higher power levels are being provided through smaller-core fibers. New wavelengths are being provided by diode laser-based sources. But, most importantly for the world of laser dentistry, prices of high-power diode laser components are coming down. We at JGM Associates expect that, within the next several years, dentists will be able to purchase a 5-watt dental diode laser for substantially less than $10,000. Nobody really knows where the “trigger level” will be, but we surmise that an eventual sell price in the $5,000 range would dramatically increase the penetration of laser-based soft-tissue management (and tooth whitening) procedures in the dental marketplace by a factor of ten or more.

Ivoclar Vivadent enters the dental laser market

Ivoclar Vivadent, a world renown supplier of dental supplies and equipment, gave a shot in the arm to the credibility soft-tissue laser dentistry when it entered the marketplace in 2004 with its Odyssey® diode laser and bluephase® blue-LED-curing products. With a list price of $11,750, the Odyssey became the most affordable 5-watt diode laser on the market (priced slightly below that of ZAP Lasers’ SoftLase Dental product) when it was introduced in the United States earlier this year. It should be interesting to see if Ivoclar Vivadent can drive down the prices of dental diode lasers just on their basis of their marketing clout.

Erbium lasers in dentistry

Why erbium lasers ?

Due to strong absorption by the collagen, mineral (hydroxyapatite), and water components of calcified tissue, pulsed erbium:YAG lasers (Er:YAG, 2.94 µm) can precisely ablate all hard dental substances, at usefully fast rates, and with relatively low pulse energy and average power. Even healthy tooth enamel, which is highly resistant to visible and other infrared laser wavelengths, can be ablated precisely and easily with erbium laser pulse energies of only 100 millijoules. Higher pulse energies remove increasing amounts of material per pulse.

Surgical precision and control can be excellent when using erbium lasers on teeth, but laser dosimetry must be carefully controlled to avoid photoacoustic damage (tooth cracking) beyond the intended treatment area. The tooth must also be cooled with a water spray, as when using a drill, to prevent overheating of the tooth at the pulse rates typically employed (10 to 50 Hz). No topical-absorber pigment of any sort is required to ablate enamel, dentin, or cementum when using erbium laser wavelengths.

Erbium YSGG lasers (Er,Cr:YSGG) lasers operate at a wavelength of 2.78 µm and have dental capabilities similar to Er:YAG lasers.

Erbium lasers can also be used to precisely cut and ablate soft tissue. However, when using fiber delivery accessories in a non-contact mode, the amount of laser-induced thermal injury is typically so low that relatively little hemostasis (bleeding control) is provided in most situations. Cuts are scalpel-like in that there is almost no healing delay, unlike most other lasers. Erbium lasers are sometimes used with contact-mode, “hot-tip” fiber accessories to improve their utility for soft-tissue cutting with hemostasis. Some erbium laser products (BIOLASE’s Waterlase® MD) provide a long-pulse emission mode to improve hemostasis when cutting soft tissue, and pulse rates as high as 50 Hz to improve the smoothness of cut tissue edges when cutting soft tissue.

Fiber accessories for dental erbium lasers

Delivery of laser energy through an optical fiber delivery accessory greatly facilitates laser treatments in the oral cavity. However, Er:YAG and Er:YSGG laser wavelengths cannot be delivered through standard (quartz) fiberoptic delivery accessories, as are used with dental Nd:YAG and argon lasers. Quartz fibers absorb erbium laser energy strongly and long fiber lengths attenuate the beam severely.

Fortunately, “infrared fiber” accessories have emerged for use with erbium lasers. Infrared fibers include sapphire fibers, zirconium aluminum fluoride, and germanium oxide fibers. These fibers appear to be adequately reliable, cost-effective, and otherwise appropriate for delivering erbium laser energy for dental applications. Erbium laser fiber accessories are new enough, however, that some manufacturers’ fibers may be more reliable than others’. Manufacturers continue to seek new ways to reduce cost and improve the reliability of their erbium laser fiber accessories.

Some dental erbium lasers employ articulated-arm (mirror-based) delivery systems instead of optical fibers. Some laser users find articulated arms much more awkward to use in the oral cavity than fiberoptic delivery accessories, but this can vary according to individual preferences. Certain prospective periodontic and endodontic (root canal surgery) applications of erbium lasers probably require fiberoptic delivery.

Commercially available products

Several erbium laser products now have FDA clearances for hard-tissue applications on teeth. FDA clearances typically include indications such as caries removal, cavity preparation, and enamel etching for treatments in adults and children. One erbium laser product (BIOLASE) also has FDA clearances for bone cutting and apicoectomy indications. Most erbium laser products have FDA clearances for soft-tissue indications. Note that not all products have the same FDA clearances; contact manufacturers for product-specific lists of FDA-cleared indications.

Some products combine an Er:YAG laser with a CO2 laser, or an Nd:YAG laser, in the same enclosure. These so-called “combination laser” systems reduce purchase cost compared to buying two lasers. The present list of commercially available dental erbium laser products (not all of which are available in the USA) includes:

Waterlase YSGG, Waterlase MD (BIOLASE Technology)
DELight (HOYA ConBio)
Fidelis Er, Fidelis Er II, Fidelis Plus II (Fotona)
OpusDuo (OpusDent)
KEY Laser 3 (KaVo)
Smart 2940d (Deka Lasers)

See Dental Applications of Advanced Lasers-2004 for detailed descriptions of most of these products.

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