Forums › Erbium Lasers › General Erbium Discussion › damaged fibre
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mickey franklSpectatorI have just had my new Waterlase for 1 week.This was just delivered to me by the technician who did not know any clinical info at all.
I was told by the agent in the UK that my clinical training can be to watch a dentist who has been using his waterlase only for a few weeks.This dentist told me he will call me when he has a few cases and I can watch him,but once you have a waterlase in your surgery you do not want to wait a few weeks.
Hence I had to train myself to use the laser.I got a clinical guide by Chris Walinski which was very helpful,and a DVD of clinical applications which were recomended in this forum and were very good.
After 4 days I prepared an occlusal cavity on a patient when I smelt burning.No water came out.No spak either.I called Biolase rep in UK who said they will send a technician 3 days later.He said the G6 tip was dark(but not broken) and the fibre is damaged together with the handpiece mirror;He replaced this and the laser is ok now.
After all that boring story(I doubt anyone has read this far?) my question is do you experienced users think I am responsible for paying for the damage?
I think that the POOR help I got (or did not get) from the Biolase rep in UK i.e lack of minimal training places them to be responsible for the cost.
Thanks for any commentsMickey Frankl
whitertthSpectatormick, i wold be surprised if they actually charged you, but i dont think u should pay..if u have any laser questions feel free to call me here in NY at 516 239 6204..I’ve been using the laser for almost 3 years and have been thru it all…Regards Ron
SwpmnSpectatorYou won’t be charged for the fiber or handpiece.
The fiber is sensitive to water left within from previous procedures(could have been left in from practicing on extracted teeth). You must purge water from the fiber after each use. If you aren’t sure how I can give you step by step instructions.
The book by Chris Walinski is quite good.
Al
Alan CadySpectatorI have a fiber that is nearly 2 1/2 years old and still gives me between 75 and 80 on the calibration reading. I have a Hoya fiber. Are the fibers on the waterlase more fragile?
My delight has not been perfect. The water module parts have been my only trouble. They have been replaced free.
Alan Cady: Delight user for nearly 3 years
Alan CadySpectatorSorry I forgot to say:
I agree with Ron and Allen, You should not be charged and will not likely be. TRAINING should be secured by the company BEFORE they take your $$$$! To do so inviteds problems like you had. I am thankful the Delight is appearantly less touchy. I would have destroyed many fibers if it were so. Thank you Hoya ConBio.Alan Cady
mickey franklSpectatorThanks for all your supporting responses.
Just to update you,yesturday i recieved an invoice for the replacement of my Waterlase trunk fibre of £3800.00(=񙖰.00 USA).
I called the Biolase international sales manager JC ,told him the whole story,and he said I will not have to pay this,and that he will help me with training etc.
It is good to know that although the rep in England is useless,the head office in California do care and will help.
Thank again for your help and advice.
Mickey Frankl
London UK
whitertthSpectatorIt really just goes to show you thet biolase does stand behind there product….There are always bumps in the road…As long as the parent company is there to see u through all will be well…. Biolase seems to do that time in and time out…..I just had a tip problem , ruined a fiber but go a new fiber gratis….. so it goes to show u once again they r there for their users.
Glenn van AsSpectatorI agree Ron…..Biolase is time and time again standing up to all these fiber problems people are having. Its just to bad that they cant fix the fiber trunk problems as it seems to be a common problem for many users.
I will admit that I havent had to replace my fiber BUT I am starting to have a error message at very low powers (Error 24 ) that will have to be fixed so I will be laying out some cash for that problem but after 3.5 Years this is the first time I will have had to pay.
Hoya doesnt have a support program at 3800 dollars a year so I will pay for this myself.
Its gratifying to know that this is the first problem I have had and I wonder if other Hoya users have had similar maintenance records like myself.
Thanks for posting, I sure learn alot here.
Glenn
2thlaserSpectatorHey guys,
Remember, I haven’t had a fiber problem at all! I keep a spare one around, but I really haven’t had a problem, and I use the bejeebers out of my laser daily. I am very hard on it. I think I could/should have mine evaluated so they can find out why I don’t have a problem and others do. I hope that it’s in the way I use it vs. anything else. Biolase is a great company. I don’t just say that, I really have seen them perform for the customer. I also think that Millineum, Bob’s company, seems to have GREAT support as well. I think in this day and age of advanced tech, it is great to see.
Seeyall!
Mark
PatricioSpectatorMark,
Glad to see you stuffed an extra fiber in your closet. As we go forward we can’t afford to have our machine down for a day or half a day etc. I expect you will use it at some point and be very glad you have it. I expect to pay my unit off this month.(19 mo.) Its a good thing as Bob and Del have their hooks into to me now.
Pat
Robert Gregg DDSSpectatorMark,
Thanks for the kinds words.
I agree that Biolase (my new family, remember;) ) has had terrific support for its end users–especially for those trunk fibers.
What I really wanted to make comment about is that you may well be on to something Mark–I mean in terms of researching why yours does so well. Having said that, Biolase may in fact already know!! (FDA and GMPs require documentation of EVERY component that goes into each and EVERY laser, by serial number, by lot number, buy manufaturer–so your laser can be “traced” by it’s component parts back to the manufacturing source).
It is possible that they had a source of optical components they can no longer obtain for whatever reason. So the search goes on for a suitable replacement. In the mean time, with the growth in sales, it can be hard to sort through the new optics while and give them a proper “field test” when the sales are so strong and demand for product is high.
That’s one reason for my concern over Biolase’s tremendous growth–growing so fast that they can’t keep up with all of the normal issues that come up in manufacturing.
Now before Glenn thinks I’ve gone soft on Biolase, let me say that this is something that Hoya ConBio has not had to deal with since Hoya is the manufacturer of the fiber used in the DELight, so there is no problem with sourcing for their optics and components. And since Hoya has embarked on a “controlled” rate of growth/sales (wasn’t that nicely stated?), they don’t have the growth, service and support headaches that Biolase has right now.
But Biolase will have to resolve this truck fiber issue, because they can’t keep replacing Ů,000 trunck fibers and continue to be profitable–but they already know this. We’ll just have to see.
My best wishes to both companies.
Bob
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