Hi Glenn,
I have done that job at the beginning when they delivered my diode 980 in first and after that with the DeLight.
I can say you that the second day of each month my lasers are paid for the month.Since we have the lasers we double the number of new patients .
I don’t have the exact amount of new billing but my monthly billing is up by 20 % each year since the last 2 years.

Glenn,
I was pretty worried whether the 980 can pay for itself.
As for me, it probably pay for itself within first week of each month.
The benefit is not only ROI, but easier for my fingers on the pen-like handpiece than the drill.
Moreover, patients’ motivations and recommandations!

Now, I’ll have to take a deep breath , get hold of a
DElight or Periolase?

Best wishes,
Ken

Hi Glenn,

My numbers have varied over the past 13 years depending on the effort I put into internal and/or external marketing.  Both are very different efforts as you can imagine.

In 1997, when we ran some TV ads and had some LA news coverage–specific to Laser Periodontal Therapy–my Net income doubled–so that was a 100% addition to my income (and my contribution to Uncle Sam that year), since my lasers we already paid for.

Since we have not done much external marketing since (we were really overrun with patients to the point I felt we didn’t serve them all as well as we could), our direct revenues tied to laser procedures–mostly Laser Perio Tx–is a consistent 25% additional dollars per year (23.89% to be exact this year to date) that I would otherwise refer or not do (like hemogioma removal–soon to post).

I can’t and do not count as additional dollars or revenues certain laser procedures (like laser caries removal, or laser endodontics) if these are, in fact, procedures that I would do anyway, but with different devices–so they are not additional income.

Now, I will and do count additional revenues based on new patients who became new patients on the basis of our laser technology.  Based on that analysis, the increase patient flow and revenues turn out to be about the same 25% over the years, with periodic fluctuations depending on our marketing efforts.

Hope this helps from a historical perspective.

Ken–Let’s see DELight or PerioLase Hmmmmmmm what to do?😉

Bob

(Edited by Robert Gregg DDS at 1:33 pm on Sep. 4, 2003)

Hi Glenn,

3. Doing procedures you never did before be it a frenectomy, biopsy, soft tissue recontouring or osseous surgery, laser periodontal therapy etc……

This certainly fitted my experience with my 980.

Although there was a general 50% to 70% drop in patient attendance in Hong Kong during SARS, I was able to mentain my gross income.

Ken

Hi Glenn,

As you know, I’ve only started using dental lasers since the start of June/03. First with the DELight and then the Biolitec a couple weeks later.

In about 10 weeks time up until the end of August including a couple weeks off along the way, the lasers have generated just under 25% of the cost of the total investment. The interesting thing is that about half of the revenue is from new or not my everday procedures being performed because of the lasers.

Procedures such as soft tissue resection, frenectomy of the labial frenum and the lingual frenum, cosmetic gingival recontouring, osseous recontouring, implant exposure, lesion lasing, laser bleaching, fibroma and tissue tag removal, pericoronitis, gingivoplasty and gingivectomy, ….

These are procedures that I’ve treated by radiosurgery, along with the blade and electrosurgery in the past and which would still work. But now certainly done by the lasers because of the nonivasive nature, the improved healing and reduction of post-op inflammation, and the controlled hemostasis. Not to mention the WOW factor of the patient and the staff, and the fun factor for me.

No question that the use of dental lasers is a positive step for any office and a worthwhile ROI.

Andrew

Hi David,

Do you have your tongue in your cheek with making that statement?

You must be joking with the folks on the forum. If so, that might be enough to prevent others from having a laser in your area. Hmmmmm….

Andrew