Bravo Graeme!

The photos are great, too.

I have a patient that wants the laser used always and needs a crown and veneer. What settings would you suggest?

And with the “spray” interproximal affecting the soft tissue, would you think it advisable to sheild the papilla with a bladed instrument?

My guess at settings is 5.5 Watts for the G-6 bulk reduction enamel and dentin, and 2.75 W for the marginal refinement with the C-6.

I get some dental charring over 3.5W which must be the high vacuum placed too close even with 30% Water?

Nice results.

Hi Lee,

I am still in the Czech Republic, leaving to come home tomorrow. I would advise that once you get your margins to where you kind of want them, lower your power settings to 1.5W or less. Final marginal refinement should be done at .5-.75W, especially if you are using magnification, you will see that the C-6 tip will cut VERY VERY effectively at .5W. Sometimes I might even place my margins at that setting, but reduce the water to 15% or so, and air to 20% or so, depending on your visualization of your surgical area. I get home tomorrow night, and will be at work on Wednesday and Thursday before heading to Las Vegas for a Barr/Colonna training course, please feel free to call!

All the best,
Mark

(Edited by 2thlaser at 7:05 pm on Nov. 1, 2004)

Hi Graeme ……..I saw this case and thought it was neatly handled.

Is there a picture on the Biolase web site of the C6 tip….I am off to look at it.

I wonder if having 30 Hz makes a difference compared to 20 Hz for smoothness of cut (it does on my laser on both hard and soft tissue).

WHich begs another question is with the new MD by waterlase. What is the maximum Hz rate for hard tissue. IS it 50 Hz and then of course 160 mj for 8 watts or does the maximum Hz setting of 50 hz only apply for soft tissue where it will make a big difference in cutting smoothness ( I see this in varying between 10 Hz and 30 hz on my machine).

One issue with 50 hz for hard tissue is if the relaxation time between pulses is enough to continue doing the same amount of restorative work without anestetic.

I know that the pulse duration is short (good stuff) but I just wonder about that.

Graeme, I have worked with the 400 micron , 600 micron and chisel tips and even a soft tissue tip of 200 microns with flooding from a high speed syringe to cut preps. I have seen all of them cut a V notch especially in dentin.

I might try that and take a picture for everyone comparing the cuts at 5 – 10 seconds at high mag on cementum once I get back in the office. I can tell you the smaller tips cut far far faster but the shape of the cut was the same.

Off to see what the C 6 tip looks like.

Cya

Good stuff

Glenn

I think we forget that as we increase the pulse rate, the depth of penetration decreases drastically. From what I have seen, at 50hz, one doesn’t get anywhere near the depth of cut you get at 30hz or below. I think that because of this, it IS just as easy to get and maintain good laser anesthesia, even at 50hz. Again, I have had the luxury of variable hz on my Waterlase for over 2 years now, and Graeme, I have been doing more at 15hz, per our conversation, with GREAT results so far, using far less power obviously. Just some observations…..again, tip selection is another VERY important consideration in this equation due to the energy pattern one needs to use to do their work.

Mark