Precise surgery with SIROLaser Blue

Precise and more conservative surgery with blue wavelength lasers

By Dr. Carlos Sfeir      carlos.sfeir@orange.fr

Dental diode lasers have already proved their worth in many dental treatments, compared to conventional treatment methods. With the development of blue laser light with a wavelength of 445 nm, lasers now cover an even greater range of treatments than ever before. 

The French dental practitioner Dr. Carlos Sfeir reports on his experience with the blue wavelength.

Lasers have been used in dentistry since the 1990s. It has now become an established treatment method, which is certainly due in part to its large range of indications. Whether for surgery, treatment of the peri-implantis or even for medical bleaching – exciting progress in treatment and diagnostics has been achieved due to the ongoing development of dental lasers.

With their diverse spectrum of applications, diode lasers in particular have been widely adopted over the years.

At my practice in Sillé le Guillaume in France, I have been working for 10 years with lasers, so that I now cannot imagine everyday work in my practice without them. From my point of view, it is a real all-rounder that offers both me and my patients many treatment advantages: Quite apart from the time savings, what impresses me about dental lasers is the usually scar-free wound healing and greater bacterial reduction, which, in turn, mean less postoperative pain for my patients. In my experience, the use of lasers can significantly optimize treatment results and thus increase patient satisfaction.

High absorption due to blue wavelength

I had the pleasure of being a participant in the SIROLaser Blue customer trial organized by Dentsply Sirona and I have been working with it since summer 2015. This enables us to consistently offer optimum treatment to our patients.

SIROLaser Blue is the first dental laser worldwide that integrates several laser diodes for three wavelengths: In addition to an infrared (970 nm) and red (660 nm) diodes, it also has a blue (445 nm) diode. It can therefore be used in all areas of soft tissue treatment and for soft laser treatment.

The SIROLaser Blue is suitable for a total of more than 20 indications and at the same time is easy and convenient to operate. The performance of the blue diode, whose light energy is particularly well absorbed by hemoglobin- and pigment-containing cells and tissue, is especially impressive from my point of view.

The high energy input results in rapid coagulation while not penetrating too far into the tissue. This reduces the risk of inadvertent damage to deeper tissue layers. Especially in surgical applications, the use of the laser is therefore practically indispensable for me.

Precise and more conservative incisions

The very high absorption rate of the blue diode in hemoglobin results in minimal bleeding and thus cleaner and more conservative incisions. Due to the simultaneously lower absorption of the 445 nm diode in water, correspondingly less heat is generated in the adjacent tissue.

In addition, the blue wavelength makes it possible for the first time to perform incisions in non-contact mode. This not only avoids activation of the fiber tip but means that there is no need to remove tissue residues from the fibers during treatment.

Case report

Excision of a tongue frenulum

The following case report clearly demonstrates how the SIROLaser comes into its own in surgical applications. My 9-year old patient suffered from a shortened tongue frenulum (Fig. 1), which resulted in speech difficulties. The use of lasers is to be recommended especially in the treatment of a thick frenulum due to the lack of bleeding and easy healing. We therefore decided to perform a frenectomy with the SIROLaser Blue.

We were able to remove the tongue frenulum in a matter of minutes with the blue laser light. The brown color on the upper part of the tongue correspondents to the coagulation (Fig. 2). The advantages of surgery with the laser compared with excision with a scalpel were obvious, as such a frenectomy usually tends to bleed profusely.

I was able to perform the cut without bleeding and no sutures were required. This also obviated the need for postoperative removal of the sutures. The young patient suffered only minimal pain during the laser surgery.

Even on the next day, it was apparent how rapidly and inflammation-free the wound was healing (Fig. 3). Ten days after treatment, the smooth healing process is clearly evident (Fig. 4).

During the entire healing process, the patient was encouraged to continuously train the tongue with suitable exercises. One month after laser treatment, the wound was completely healed without scaring and the patient’s tongue was fully mobilized (Fig. 5 & 6).

Summary

The SIROLaser Blue is an all-rounder which, with its three wavelengths, is a truly versatile solution. The cut created by the blue laser light is extremely precise and enables a rapid, neat incision with only minimal bleeding. Especially for soft tissue treatment, I could not imagine life without it. It is not just me as the user, but also my patients who benefit from the laser.