Well I had this case today and I thought I would show something that I did today without anesthetic.  Could I have done it with a scalpel…….sure, but probably not without anesethetic and the patient really was happy.

Could I have stuck a whole bunch of cotton wadding in there……oh sure.

Could I have spent alot of time and made a gorgeous temporary to create huge emergence profile.

YUP

What I did was use the erbium laser (20Hz, 45 mj, no water, but air) on the tissue around the implant abutment in order to seat the crown without pain or blanching.  I know, I know that there would be tons of other ways…..faster ways, brighter ways, less invasive ways, methods backed up by double blind, clinically randomized 30 year studies.

I know one thing…….the patient was happy that the needle, blade and sutures stayed in the drawer and that the EMLA and the Er:YAG laser was all I needed to make the crown seat.  It wouldnt seat initially and it was causing her pain when I tried.  It wasnt the contacts but the emergence profile of the laser.

I couldn not have used electrosurge with or without aneesthetic.  I could not have used a diode without anesthetic.  

I also know this never happens in anyone elses practice, but its another use for lasers in my practice and something that most periodontists are spending ALL of their time doing now………IMPLANTS.

Here it is……for better or worse.

Reason enough to spend 60000 on a laser……nah……

Just something for those interested in lasers, who visit this laser board to astonishingly learn something about how lasers can be used in private practice to see.

Hope you folks like it……..all the best

Glenn

(Edited by Glenn van As at 6:11 am on Nov. 27, 2004)