All lit up describes me when I get to fire up my diode laser for my patients.

Yes! I love it and love sharing the opportunity with you as a means for expanding your hygiene services and patient care. I made a financial and educational investment by getting certified in soft tissue laser back in 2005. I implemented it as part of my non-surgical periodontal therapy program and I experience happier, healthier patients and witness amazing clinical results over and over.

As you know, lasers use light energy to perform a unique procedure of treating targeted diseased tissue while leaving surrounding healthy tissue unaffected. If that isn’t enough to get you excited, then here are just a few of the benefits that were the biggest factors in my decision to include laser in my therapy:

• Minimally invasive – no surgery; no cutting of tissues, sutures or down time for patients
• Biologically healthy – decontaminates; supports and promotes the healing process through biostimulatory effects
• Safe, gentle and precise – greater performance in producing a clean, even epithelial lining without epithelial remnants (better known as “tissue tags”)

The use of laser therapy is a non-surgical and effective approach that complements scaling and root planing beautifully. AND, my experience is, patients are willing and ready to say, ‘YES’!

I’d like to introduce you to a colleague and mentor of mine, Angie Mott. Angie will offer you an even greater opportunity to learn more about the exciting world of lasers and how it can create a healthier foundation for your hygiene department. In fact, she’s co-authored a textbook, Soft-Tissue Lasers in Dental Hygiene, which includes extensive case studies and comprehensive information to support any practice in creating a successful hygiene protocol. I met Angie a year ago and immediately fell in love with her passion for lasers in hygiene. She’s even shared, ‘I would quit hygiene without my laser’. Angie has been a hygienist for over 20 years and still practices four days a week. Her passion has led her to achieve advanced level proficiency and become a course educator and mastership with the Academy of Laser Dentistry. Angie generously found time to sit down with me and answer some questions I often get from colleagues. I am excited to share our conversation with you here.

Chris –  Describe a few of the most common ways you incorporate the laser into patient care.

Angie –  The laser is such an easy tool to use. The protocol is very easy to adapt into any perio program that most offices have in place. If an office already has a perio program in place, then they already understand the philosophy that comes into play with what the laser can provide for their patients. Most hygienists are initially concerned that the laser will add so much more time to their appointments. At first, due to the learning curve, it will take a little extra time to adapt. From there, hygienists will quickly see that they work smarter, not harder. 

Soft tissue lasers can be added into the daily routine of a hygienist to complement a variety of treatment. It may be added to a typical continuing care appointment to reduce bacteria levels. This allows the body to have a chance to heal on its own by allowing the healthy bacteria to thrive. When used as an adjunct to periodontal scaling and root planing, lasers can eliminate diseased tissue, allowing the reduction of bacteria, decrease bleeding and allow greater tissue attachment to form in the periodontal pocket. There are other applications that it can be used for in hygiene and will depend on the state Dental Practice Act. Those additional applications could include the treatment of herpetic lesions and apthous ulcers. 

Chris –  Based on your experience, and that of your client’s, how receptive are patients to accepting laser treatment?

Angie –  Patients are always interested in new treatment options. Most patients have heard of lasers in dentistry, but not sure how they can be used. As with any new treatment options, there is the need to explain the treatment plan recommendations and the outcome of what to expect with a soft tissue laser. Especially when using visual aids, hygienists find it very easy to explain how laser therapy will enhance their treatment. This is where patient education is a must. By creating value for our patients, they understand and are willing to accept laser therapy for their dental care. This will come much easier as hygienists begin to see the results from their patients. And, it is always easier to explain and share something you genuinely believe in. 

Chris –  How do lasers fit into a practice with multiple hygienists?

Angie –  When there are multiple hygienists in one office, it is important to initially establish a philosophy that is agreeable to all of the hygienists. This supports everyone being on the same page and no matter which hygienist a patient sees for treatment, the protocol will remain the same. This establishes continuity in patient care. 

Chris –  How can Laser Assisted Periodontal Therapy (LAPT) support the growth of a hygiene department? And, does an office need to have a high-volume hygiene department before adding a service like LAPT?

Angie –  LAPT can be implemented at any growth stage of a hygiene department. As we provide more advanced services to support our patient care, we need to be compensated accordingly. It is expected that an office would increase periodontal therapy fees with the added service of LAPT. Additionally, here is an opportunity for marketing the practice as state-of-the-art by offering advanced technology and care. By advertising the use of soft tissue lasers being used in the practice, the doctor may attract patients that are specifically looking for non-surgical approaches to periodontal therapy and thereby, pull new patients into the practice easily.

Chris –  What is the investment for incorporating LAPT into the hygiene department?

Angie –  Lasers come in all shapes, sizes and costs with a wide range of options available. It is difficult to determine the initial investment without knowing the specific needs of the practice. However, I feel confident in saying that less than ten treatment plans of periodontal therapy would allow for a full return on investment of the laser. Along with the support of great training, I like to say, ‘if you build it, they will come’. 

Chris –  How can a doctor and his/her team learn more about how to get started with a LAPT program?

Angie –  A great place to start is with the Academy of Laser Dentistry (ALD). Here you will be introduced to several options of what a laser can do for patient care. As an educator of the Academy, I can provide Standard Proficiency Laser Education through the ALD. With this curriculum, I can arrange to come out to the office and provide training and certification. From this training, the hygienists will be able to take an online exam to complete their certification. They will also receive eight CEU’s and with more available upon completion of the ALD online exam. Doctors and additional team members are encouraged to attend and receive six CEU’s. However, certification is not an option for me to provide to the dentists in the practice. 

I also teach several courses to hygienists throughout the year. These can be attended as opposed to the in-office course. The best way to determine what will work for the practice is for the doctor to spend some time with an educator to learn more and share what they are looking to create for the practice.

Angie is offering her time with you in answering your specific questions. She welcomes the opportunity to support you with determining what may serve you best as you explore LAPT for your hygiene department. She is so excited about helping you, she’s made a special offer to our Hygiene by Design readers only. I encourage you to message Angie right away to learn more about her special offer and take advantage of her expertise to determine if this could be a perfect fit for your practice. For me, it has been one of the best investments I’ve made in expanding my education and clinical skills.

You can email Angie at: Angie@laserrdh.com.

As always, I want to hear from you. Do you currently use or have you thought about using lasers to complement periodontal therapy? If you currently use lasers, what protocols and systems do you have in place to make it successful? I invite you to share your success stories with our community and feel free to post questions to get a conversation going. If you enjoyed this post, spread the love and like, comment and share with your friends and colleagues. Thank you for taking the time to be a member of our community.

I look forward to supporting you in getting all lit up over lasers!

P.S. I can always be reached privately at Chris@Hygienebydesign.com