Forums › Nd:YAG lasers › General Nd:YAG Forum › biolase vs. opus duo
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rtemddsSpectatorI am considering purchasing the Biolase or the Opusdent Duo. I am impressed with the opus laser (this on is different than the opus 20. Can anyone please shed light on these 2 systems. It seems to me that most people that i speak to favor the Biolase system. Any help would greatly appreciated
Glenn van AsSpectatorHi there………my suggestion is to consider either the Biolase or the Continuum laser.
They both are Erbium Yag (not Nd:Yags) and you can look in the erbium sections and see cases done with both. I only know of a couple of Opus users who have the machine.
Bob Convissar is one in New York.
You cant go wrong with either unit and I prefer Continuum but most here have Biolase.
Both work and both are good machines from good companies……
( Hey Mark …….hows that for non biased huh!!)(My new years resolution and PS did you fellows notice in all the ads lately nothing about hydrokinetics……….could the ramblings of one insane man (me) make a difference?
PS I like the new ads from Biolase, there isnt one thing I want to argue.
glenn
AnonymousGuestrtemdds,
Welcome to the forum.
Make sure you also look at the companies support. Biolase has been terrific with the couple problems I’ve had.Glenn has had great things to say about Continuum. Haven’t heard much about Opus support.Do your research, make your choice, and join the fun.
I’m amazed daily at what the lasers can do- take a look at the amalgam removal with no anesthetic case I posted today under hard tissue procedures .
Good luck,
rtemddsSpectatormy first impression of the 2 companies(biolase and opusdent):
1) Biolase tries to appeal to the male primal instincts with placing female models that are well enhanced in all aspects of cosmetic palstic surgeries wearing t-shirts”I love men who want to get lased”,or somthing to that effect.
2) opus tries to appeal to the dentist who is very discerning and looks at the facts before making a major investment.The comparison of Apple vs. microsoft holds true in this instance. Biolase has an unbeleivable marketing genius behind it;hence comparison to microsoft. Opus seems to follow the same mistakes with Apple;elitist mentality(we are the best, we will have the highest marketshare because of that). We all saw where that lead Apple, eventhough they are making a comeback, not enough to compete with the big boys.
One of the arguments that I have heard in support of
Opus ; it has a contacting tip Biolase doesn’t. With biolase you never know where you are. Is this true with Biolase? I have never seen anyone defending the virtues of opusdent. Is this because they don’t have enough dentists out there using it or is it because Opus is not a great product? Are there any users of the new Opus duo out there that can help me?Thank you
AnonymousGuestQUOTE1) Biolase tries to appeal to the male primal instincts with placing female models that are well enhanced in all aspects of cosmetic palstic surgeries wearing t-shirts”I love men who want to get lased”,or somthing to that effect.I didn’t see these but have heard of this marketing. I think its very tacky and hopefully Biolase will realize they have a strong enough product that they don’t have to resort to this kind of thing.
QUOTEOne of the arguments that I have heard in support of
Opus ; it has a contacting tip Biolase doesn’t. With biolase you never know where you are. Is this true with Biolase?The necessity of ‘contact tips ‘ seems strange to me considering that the Erbium has its effect thru absorption of the laser beam, not a mechanical effect. It would also be interesting to find out how these contact tips have their effect.
Knowing where you are is accomplished thru magnification.
According to Manni, alot of contact tip lasers have their effect thru heat conduction(Dental Applications of Advanced Lasers). This would seem to negate one of the positives of the erbium in that it can actually lower pulpal tempature.
Maybe you can get someone from opus to join the board and tell us all how those work.
rtemddsSpectatorThank you so much for your insightful comments. I actually like Opus but can’t seem to find anyone who cares to commment on it’s attributes. What seems to be the problem with this machine? Is there someone out there who loves the Opus who can convince me to purchase it over the other lasers?
2thlaserSpectatorAgain, Glenn, You are right. The new ads are great, and I hope you DID have an effect. Thanks for the support on your end for us Biolase users. We know what you can do on patients with your Continuum, and I applaud you. Funny how different tools work in each of our hands. Glad to see you probably made a difference.
Mark
Glenn van AsSpectatorHi there rtemdds………I would personally stay away from the Opusdent duo if you are interested in the best delivery system.
I am not a big fan of the hollow tub with mirrors as you lose alot of energy with this system. It requires alot of maintenance and replacement every couple of months.
I have not had anything go wrong with my fiber for 3 years now.
I believe that you only get 15% of the energy generated by the laser out the end.
Contact tips are great in theory and I can put my Continuum tip in contact as well but it tends to break the tip down faster and then it needs replacement.
I am a firm believer that every laser user should have magnification to help them as the fibers and tips are small (less than 1/2mm in diameter in some cases) and that makes it difficult to see how far away from the object you are.
Read through the erbium posts and see all the topics about how far you need to be away.
I wont talk you into buying the Opusdent and I wont talk you out of it, but the scarcity of replies about the product should tell you something about it.
Just a thought……….
My opinion remains unchanged, look at the fiber delivery systems of Biolase or Continuum and if you want a duo go with a package of the diode and the ERbium Yag from Continuum which will be far less than the CO2 and erbium yag that Opus is offering ( I think they sell it for 45K at Continuum).
Glenn
BenchwmerSpectatorThe OpusDuo was released in. Oct 2002.
I ordered one with just the Erbium, no CO2 (I’m already a PerioLase/Nd:YAG user) at the ADA meeting in New Orleans. It arrived 2 weeks ago. You were getting no responses in January because the lasers were just being released.
The OpusDuo Erbium has computer, touchscreen technolgy, plus a foot control to vary power to the contact tip during use. The ability to change power for enamel/dentin/ carious dentin without leaving the tooth is the largest jump in technology.
So far no problems in use. I’m only using it for hard tissue and minor tissue removal in Class V restos,so far. No need for anethetic. Patients like it. My Nd:YAG is still my soft tissue laser of choice.
I’m here to learn more about hard tissue laser procedures.
Glenn van AsSpectatorHi Jeff: congrats on your purchase and tell us more about the Opus when you have a chance.
I think Lumenis who owns Opus among many lasers is having a bit of a tough time these days , so do make sure that you get everything you paid for and do have service on it if you need it.
I have played with the machine and know that it works. Let me know more about how you like it and post some pics if you can.
I went to your web site last night. Nice clean site and interesting reads.
All the best and congrats on your erbium purchase.
Glenn
lasersmiledrSpectatorThe advice found here is excellent! Do your research, realize the limitations of each wavelength, pulseduration, instrument etc.
I find it misleading though as mentioned earlier, this forum location is for NdYAG lasers. Both the Biolase and Continuum are Er lasers and forum discussion for them is best suited elsewhere.
Todd McCracken, D.D.S.,M.A.L.D.
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