Laser Root Canal on
"The Doctors"

The first internationally televised laser root canal procedure – performed using the Waterlase Dentistry™ root canal therapy system was broadcast on Thursday, January 8, 2009. See highlights of the show!

The procedure, was performed live at CBS Paramount Studios in Hollywood by Dr. Darrell Chun of Elk Grove, California. The entire root canal procedure, performed using a Waterlase MD™ YSGG laser system and Endolase™ radial firing laser tips, was completed without numbing the dental-phobic patient, who had previously experienced a very painful, traditional root canal.

 The procedure is also performed by Dr Simon Rosenberg, a Waterlase Dentist on the Upper Eastside of Manhattan in New York City. Dr Rosenberg has used the Biolase Waterlase MD for Restorative, Periodontal and Surgical Procedures in his Center for High Tech Dentistry office at 399 E. 72nd St since 2007 and has added the Endolase option to the root canals he does perform since the end of 2008. The key to the endolase system is the radial firing tips that disperse the laser energy in a cone-shaped beam out laterally, instead of the traditional laser tips that fire the laser energy straight down out of the tip. This allows Dr Rosenberg to enlarge and sterilize the walls of the canal, without damage to the tissues around the endo of the tooth root tip.

The Radial Firing Endolase Tip

The advantages of this Radial Firing Tip are:

• 99.7% Reduction in bacterial counts in the root canal approaches sterilization
• Bacteria counts 2.86 X lower than most effective conventional treatment
• Reduces risk of re-infection
• Effective on most resistant root canal bacteria - E. faecalis
• minimally invasive technique conserves tooth structure
• Only 2-3 minutes for disinfection saves 20-30 min. over usual treatment

The bottom line is that the research shows that this procedure of Waterlase root canal treatment reduces bacteria to levels approaching sterilization.

The first FDA cleared laser treatment for improved root canal disinfection.

More than 15 million root canal procedures are performed every year. Using conventional methods, 4-6 percent of root canals fail, a relatively high rate for a dental procedure, causing patients to go through retreatment. In some cases, the tooth cannot be saved and time consuming and expensive restorations such as dental implants are required.

Clearly there’s room for improvement. That’s why Biolase Technology and Waterlase Dentists have teamed up to offer Waterlase Root Canal Therapy, the first advanced laser technology root canal disinfection approved by the US Food & Drug Administration.

A root canal is a treatment used to eliminate infection and save a tooth that is painful, badly decayed and infected. During a root canal procedure, the nerve and pulp is removed and the inside of the tooth is cleaned, disinfected and sealed.

With Waterlase Dentistry™ Root Canal Therapy endodontists (dentists who specialize in performing root canals) and general dentists can perform root canal procedures faster and more effectively than with conventional treatment methods.

Only Waterlase® combines laser light and water for fast cutting without heat, vibration, or pressure.

Proven by ADA Published University Research
Articles in the Journal of the American Dental Association and other prestigious dental journals are proof that Waterlase Dentistry root canal treatment is better. A research team from at Temple University, led by Dr. Roy Stevens, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Endodontology at Temple's Kornberg School of Dentistry, demonstrated that the powerful Waterlase Dentistry laser light can significantly reduce the level of infection in the root canal and adjacent infected dentin by up to 99.7 percent.

"The effectiveness of this treatment lends itself to improving the way that we perform root canal therapy," Dr. Stevens said, adding that the results of the team's research were of "great significance" for several reasons.

"First, these bacteria are known to be highly resistant to other disinfection currently used in root canal therapy," Dr. Stevens said. "Second, the research demonstrates that the disinfection capability of the laser is effective at a distance into the dentin surrounding the canal, overcoming some accessibility problems for conventional treatment methods. Third, a high level of disinfection can be achieved in minutes, saving both the patient and dentist considerable time during endodontic treatment."

A key element of the laser therapy is that the disinfection procedure can be done quickly, in two to three minutes, compared to the 20-30 minutes required in traditional chemical treatments using sodium hypochlorite (bleach) that have been performed since the 1920s.

© Biolase Technology, Inc. 2008. All rights reserved.
Waterlase Dentistry, Waterlase and Biolase are trademarks of Biolase Technology, Inc.

Reference: http://www.laserdentistry.com/laser_root.php