by Dr Suman Singh, Karama Dental Family Practice, Casuarina, NT
The NV Microlaser is a soft tissue laser is great for crown lengthening and cauterises beautifully.
What’s good about it
The big advantage of this laser is that it’s cordless. It has an inbuilt battery and the hand-piece is charged in a dock. It offers complete freedom of movement without the hassle of dragging around wires that invariably get in the way. The portability of this unit means that one laser can be used in multiple surgeries.
When I am doing a crown, lengthening the Microlaser causes little post-operative pain, no bleeding and there’s healing within a day. It’s far superior to using a scalpel or an electrosurge.
I also use it when performing frenectomies. That procedure is usually done on children and the sight of a scalpel can be a problem. Not only are the kids less concerned about the laser but we use a minimal amount of anaesthetic and there are no post-operative complications. Generally, patients are very positive about the idea of a laser being used for their procedure.
During a complicated filling where there are overgrown or bleeding gums, the ability to break out the laser and seal those areas allows me to work much faster. There is no need to put in a temporary and the whole procedure can be completed in one appointment. The Microlaser saves time and my patients really like that.
What’s not so good
The tips on the laser are disposable and one use only. They are quite expensive at about $25 each. (Editor’s note: the suppliers have contacted us in the comments below to say the price works out at about $11.60 each)
The tips actually work out around $11.60 inc gst each NOT $25.
Thanks David, we’ve corrected accordingly.