Community Magazine November 2009

58 Community magazine JACQUES DOUECK, DDS I want to make it clear. I love my laser, I use it every day and I would never give it up. With that being said… I need to give you some history. I have been a dentist since 1977. I was certified by the Academy of Laser Dentistry in 1998 and have been using hard and soft tissue lasers ever since. My soft tissue laser gets excellent results with periodontal (gum) disease and I use it for my CEREC one-visit crowns and onlays, as well as for crowns and bridges. But as far as preparing teeth for fillings, my hard tissue laser takes a back seat to my AquaCut, which uses hydro-abrasion to prep teeth without the need for injections. People have high expectations. They expect laser dentistry to be painless. Unfortunately, when it comes to using the laser for cavities, my experience has been disappointing. When a hard tissue laser is used on enamel of molars, it needs a lot of energy and my patients feel it. My AquaCut, by contrast, sprays a slurry of water and powder and gently and effectively cuts through the enamel without the need for anesthetic. Before AquaCut there was air abrasion. I have always been a fan of air abrasion as a gentle way to treat molars for biting surface cavities. The air abrasion hand piece blows a powerful air stream of tiny aluminum oxide particles out of its tip onto the tooth. The tiny particles bounce off the tooth and blast the decay away. It works like a power-wash removing graffiti from walls. The problem with air abrasion is that excess powder and “dust” gets everywhere. The incorporation of water to make a slurry changes everything. Another feature of the AquaCut is the simplicity of design. There are no electronics. In fact, there is no electric power involved – everything runs by air pressure. The engineering of this unit has many benefits over the air abrasion systems. The tips are disposable and the powder comes in sterile cartridges. The AquaCut is ideally suited for Minimally Invasive dentistry which preserves the most healthy tooth structure. My patients know us as the high tech office. AquaCut is the next level beyond laser. We can clean out your cavity without a shot, without a numb lip and without the drill. AquaCut works by spraying your tooth with a slurry of abrasive and water to remove decay from a tooth without using a dental drill. I enjoy the delightful reaction of my patients. They have their fillings done with no shot, no numb lip, and knowing that their dentist is on the leading edge of technology. Velopex, the company that makes AquaCut, describes it as an alternative to the drill and needle. I would go one step further and say the AquaCut is an alternative to the laser for prepping teeth for cavities with no shots and no drilling. Confessions of a Laser Dentist