No vibration or loud noise with this laser.

“Often times, my preparations with Solea are completely drill-free, resulting in an entirely different experience for my patients,” said North Haven, CT, private practitioner David Fantarella, DMD, who has been using hard- and soft-tissue lasers since 2008.

Solea, by Convergent Dental, is the first CO2 laser system ever cleared by the FDA for hard and soft tissue ablation.

Fantarella, in an interview with Compendium magazine,  noted that the CO2 laser system can vaporize every tissue in the mouth—gingiva, bone, dentin, enamel, decayed dentin, and pulp—and can be used for Class 1 through 6 restorative procedures without the need for anesthetic.

According to the company, Solea dentists report that they perform over 95% of their Solea procedures without anesthesia, and over 98% of those patients report no pain, with 100% preferring Solea to a drill.

How can it offer drill-free, easy, precise, nearly noiseless and anesthesia-free performance (or your money back)?

Solea uses an oxygen-18 isotope and other modifications to emit 9.3 µm, matching the peak absorption of hydroxyapatite. Meaning the isotopic CO₂ laser actually vaporizes enamel — versus erbium lasers that vaporize water and slowly chip enamel away — giving the power to work anywhere in the oral cavity, from any angle, with speed and ease. Decayed tissue and interproximal cutting won’t slow the process or compromise performance. For soft tissue it allows its user to feather into cuts with more speed, precision and less bleeding than ever imagined.

What’s the ROI?

According to Convergent Dental,  dentists are experiencing efficiency gains of 25% – 40%, enabling them to routinely perform six or more additional procedures per day.

The logic: Without anesthesia and bleeding, time is saved. It is possible to work in multiple quadrants in a single visit, fill cavities discovered during hygiene appointments (in the same day), and do soft tissue procedures that might have been referred out in past.

See Solea in action at Chicago Dental Society’s 150th Midwinter Meeting February 26-28.