I just got back from my first dental cleaning / appointment with a new dentist. Since I moved a couple years ago I've slacked on finding a new dentist and getting back in the swing of routine cleanings so it's been about 2.5 years since I've been seen.

This guy came highly recommended on social media (my town has a facebook group with ~10,000 people on it and he was mentioned a lot as the go-to guy when someone asked about it).

I have two cavities that need attention and when he started talking to me about it he said he's one of only about a thousand dentists in the world who use a laser for fillings. It's called Solea (he showed me the machine as it was sitting right there). He said he no longer uses any numbing agents or injections for fillings or crowns (for the most part on crowns, he said).

He said he did a total of three injections this week and that "that was a heavy week" for him with injections.

This had me pretty blown away. He said it works great and is pain free. He also said it's revolutionary and is the future of dentistry. Sounds like a game-changer to me.


What do we have going on with this sorcery?!?! He told me he's been in practice for over 40 years and that this new method (which he adopted a few years ago) has rejuvenated his career. He owns his own practice.

Has anyone ever had work done via this method? Is there something I am missing?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Copefree,

I hate needles to the point I have cavities filled without a pain shot. This might be a game changer for me.

Lasers can work for small cavities that are going to be filled with composite. I’m not aware of any way to do a crown prep with one, but I guess I’m not one of the select few.

If it's a relatively minor filling, as most of them tend to be when caught early, I just ask for the gas. I've a relatively high pain threshold and, while I can still feel it, with the gas it's quite tolerable. Then the drilling's over, the gas goes away, the filling gets done, and I get up out of the chair feeling like a normal person--without drool running out of one side of my mouth for the next two hours

I thought this was going to be about the tool they use to measure the decay. The one that goes WeeEEEEEeoooooHHHHeeeeeeEEEEE.

My dentist just retired and was happy to watch and monitor decay visually, with xrays and using that tool. Fillings obviously weaken the tooth and do not last forever.

An under-30 guy that bought the practice obviously wanted to fill the spot of minor decay immediately. He has a practice to pay for you know.

I'm there for cleanings 3 times a year. The decay spots have not changed in the 5 years I have been going there. I just did my 5 year Xray updates and they looked the same.

The longer I wait the more likely some new invention like this will be available when I actually need it!

Some snake oil, some not. Lasers have been used in surgery for several decades, and are effective cutting instruments that cauterize and seal as they cut, used for some time in periodontal (gum) surgery, orthopedics, vascular and general surgery. More limited for general dental procedures - they have limited use for cavities between the teeth, and as someone mentioned, have limited use in removing tooth structure for a crown preparation, can't remove old fillings with decay under or around them, still often require conventional anesthesia, depending on the cavity, and you still need a conventional "drill" to adjust and polish the restoration after it's placed. And a lot more expensive (have to pay for the fancy laser, eh?). They're also used effectively in specific tooth - bleaching procedures, and for cauterizing intraoral lesions. They can reduce anxiety for those "drill phobic" patients, they can be used for relatively minor, correctly oriented cavities, and can preserve tooth structure, and they do absolutely minimize bleeding and swelling for soft tissue surgery. Laser surgery hasn't been shown to be more effective, however, than conventional surgery as far as outcome. So a gimmick, yes, useful in some limited circumstances, yes, with the exception of surgery where it is fairly mainstream now. I would be leery of someone who claims they are the cure-all for everything, or of someone who says lasers have no place in any therapy. A tool, just like any other, right place and right time. No laser system has received unconditional approval from the American Dental Association to date, and Solea, a CO2 laser marketed by Convergent Dental, is a relative newcomer to the spectrum of medical lasers.

Interesting, for sure. That’s great insight Doc H.

I’m getting two cavaties filled via this new procedure in two week so we’ll see how it goes.

quote:

Originally posted by Copefree:
Interesting, for sure. That’s great insight Doc H.

I’m getting two cavaties filled via this new procedure in two week so we’ll see how it goes.

Let us know how it goes! The Air Force helped developed the high-speed turbine handpiece (drill), making a dental appointment orders of magnitude more comfortable than the old belt-driven, smoke and vibration-producing handpieces most of us remember as children (hopefully not today). Who knows? Lasers may be the next wave of technology to make a usually dreaded visit in the dental chair actually enjoyable (or tolerable!). They have certainly revolutionized surgery, along with robotics, and the future is bright.

quote:

Originally posted by Doc H.:
Let us know how it goes! ...

Well, I had my appointment this morning for the two fillings.

In short, it was pretty amazing.

I sat in the chair and the doc got straight to work. No shots and then waiting to get numb. No dental-dam thingy had to be installed. I just laid back and opened my mouth and they went to work on the first filling.

Pretty incredible. I didn’t feel a damn thing. A slight cold sensation at times but that’s about it. I got up when they were done and all feeling was back and no pain.

The future is here! What a game changer.

It is more expensive than the traditional method, I should add — they quoted me $580 for these two fillings where I think the old method would be ~$350 or so. My insurance pays 90% though so I’m only paying about $58.

Regardless, the premium is 100% worth it in my opinion.

quote:

Originally posted by Copefree:

quote:

Originally posted by Doc H.:
Let us know how it goes! ...

Well, I had my appointment this morning for the two fillings.

In short, it was pretty amazing.

I sat in the chair and the doc got straight to work. No shots and then waiting to get numb. No dental-dam thingy had to be installed. I just laid back and opened my mouth and they went to work on the first filling.

Pretty incredible. I didn’t feel a damn thing. A slight cold sensation at times but that’s about it. I got up when they were done and all feeling was back and no pain.

The future is here! What a game changer.

It is more expensive than the traditional method, I should add — they quoted me $580 for these two fillings where I think the old method would be ~$350 or so. My insurance pays 90% though so I’m only paying about $58.

Regardless, the premium is 100% worth it in my opinion.

Bravo! You're a ground-breaker - glad it worked out! 3-D printing, lasers, digital imagery have all changed medicine in gigantic leaps in the last 10 years, with some successes we never imagined. It can only get better, for patients and providers...

Good for you. Had two cavities taken care of via laser about a year ago. As you noted it ended up being a none-issue to the point that I felt silly afterward.