Thanks to all the LDF crew for helping out.

I think that with some proper direction that the ALD will become a strong unifying body for all laser companies not just the brand supporting a meeting.

Thanks to all those that kindly stayed awake during my lecture.

It was great seeing all my friends both old and new and a great big thanks to Ron, Bob, Lee, Andrew, Kelly, David, Del, and especially to Allen Williams for being such good friends and good people.

It was great putting a face to all the names and having alot of laughs.

All the best

Glenn

You will be receiving my Amex statement………Cha CHING!

Bob Gregg and I were sitting by one another and were both somewhat perplexed by Dr. Featherstone’s statement. All of the absorption spectrum graphs I have seen show a peak in hydroxyapatite at 2940 nm. If I recall correctly, Featherstone said that when Er:YAG is ablating tooth structure it is only because the wavelength is being absorbed by water. Seemed strange to me as I have taken old, sterilized, dried out teeth sitting in my lab drawer and cut them with the Er:YAG without a water spray.

Perhaps Dr. Featherstone has run some experiments of which we are unaware?

Other new things I learned:

1) Knowledge of the scanning wide area(I think 5x5mm) ablation by the Fotona erbium. Seemed like a great idea but couldn’t figure out how I could hold my hand steady enough to prevent nicking adjacent teeth or soft tissue.

2) Apparently saline solutions can be placed in erbium laser irrigation water bottles when performing osseous surgery. Dr. Akira Aoki from Japan is doing this and also doing some amazing work removing pigmented gingiva as well as amalgam “tattoos”. The system should be flushed afterwards with distilled water.

Al

Yep Featherstone says that Mann is wrong!!!

Me ! I am confused!
David

Sounds like I missed a good time. Sorry I couldn’t make it. The news on the Aunt front is not good. She returned home, with the intent of just finishing out her life, as surgery, and any more chemo/radiation is not worth it. Very sad. I appreciate the prayers and support I have recieved from everyone on the board, thank you. My aunt thanks you as well. Please keep us in your prayers as we go through this with her over the next few months.

Glenn, how did the workshop go?

Mark

Mark:

So sorry about your Aunt. Went through that ten years ago with my mother. At some point you realize it’s just God’s plan and there is no point in continuing further treatment which just makes you sick and feel even worse.

The workshop was great. A variety of Designs for Vision loupes – low, medium and high mag. Ten Global scopes. Bunch of lasers to play with Nd:YAG from Millenium; diodes from Biolitec, HOYA and Ivoclar; erbiums from Biolase, HOYA and Opus. I’ve never seen anything like it where participants could try out so many different lasers with magnification.

Just for fun I cut a couple of crown preps on the hog teeth with two of the Erbs and shot them through the Global scope:

Al

Mark – So sorry to hear about your aunt. (God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change….) You were missed. I know you would have been there if you could. I did get to see Lisa’s veneer prep when Bob Barr was doing his Biolase pitch. Nice work. I look forward to the next time I see her to see the final product.

Glenn – I would highly recommend doing the scopes and laser thing next year. I’d be glad to help any way I can. I think that the more the word gets out about the use of microscopes, and the more examples people see on this and other sites, the greater the interest will be. Truthfully, I find it hard to work without the scope now. I try doing procedures w/ my old loupes, and it’s ridiculous. I can’t see anything. (I think I’m spoiled now!) Definitely – keep the scope thing goin’!

Kelly