1 Comment January 22, 2010 3:37 am
by Sean Cotrell
Sean Cotrell
 
Sean Cotrell

Something revolutionary has worked its way into dental offices around the world, and its name is Waterlase.  Write it down. This is a name you won’t want to forget.

The Waterlase system, invented by Biolase, acts like a drill and scalpel but has no sharp edges and doesn’t even touch your tooth. That’s right, I said it, it doesn’t even touch your tooth! What does touch your tooth? Water. Waterlase is a comfy combination of a laser beam and water.  A variety of dental procedures are now being performed with a laser instead of the traditional and often painful drill and scalpel. That means no more novacaine injections, and just as importantly, no sippy cup for that post-dentist drink.

How is it possible that our dentists can now fill our filings and root our root canals with a simple stream of H2O? Easy. The system uses a very accurate stream of water that is energized by the laser to cut through tissue or tooth. It sounds sci-fi but I promise you it’s the real deal. Biolase has even come out with a “Turbo” version of this technology.  If turbo means I get in and out of my appointment quicker, I’ll take two!

Can Waterlase be used for all dental procedures? Not quite. For example, Waterlase can’t be used to remove silver fillings. But Waterlase can be used to perform a variety of dental procedures, such as:

Treating mild to moderate periodontal disease
Remove decay
Fillings
Root canals

All of this with little or no pain. No more needles, no more vibration or heat or loud drilling noises. Believe me when I say, the face of dentistry is changing.

In 1998, Waterlase was the first device of it’s kind to receive FDA approval for use on soft and hard tissue. You might be doing the calculations in your head. 1998… 2010…hmm… Don’t ask me why you haven’t heard of this before, ask your dentist.  Or better yet, use DoctorBase to find a dentist schooled in this technology and be on your way to a fast, easy and painless dental procedure.

For more information on pain-free dental visits, you might enjoy How to Achieve a Pain-Free Dental Visit.

If you’re a dentist who has used Waterlase to treat patients, please enlighten us all by leaving a comment regarding your experience with this technology.

One Response to “Say Goodbye to the Drill and Hello to Waterlase!”

  1. Sherry Says:

    Dental implants at San Diego Dentist have grown to be an effective and reliable means of replacing missing teeth and securing bridges and dentures.

Leave a Reply

Security Code:

  • Contributor Bios


  • Jenna Rogers
  • Jenna Rogers, RN
    Jenna has worked in the health care field for 13 years as a Registered Nurse, specializing in Oncology and clinical research. Jenna writes articles and equipment and procedure explanations for DoctorBase with the consumer-patient perspective in mind. She is an avid writer and photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area and in her spare time writes a relationship improvement column for Examiner.com.

  • Katie Sullivan
  • Katie Sullivan, RDH
    Katie Sullivan is a full-time Registered Dental Hygienist in Sonoma County.  She recently graduated from Santa Rosa Junior College in 2009, majoring in Dental Hygiene. Katie brings a fresh, young standpoint to DoctorBase as she conveys a current perspective not only to the younger patients, but to the skilled professionals & consumers as well.  Katie is a member of the ADHA, CDHA & Redwood Dental Hygiene Society.


  • Dan Gustavson
  • Dan Gustavson, DDS
    Dr. Dan Gutavson, DDS is a dentist in the Glen park area. He earned his dental degree at the University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry and was President of the San Francisco Dental Society in 2000. He also served as a Delegate to the California Dental Association. He belongs to the ADA and has been President of the Glen Park Merchant’s Association,
    Vice-President of the San Francisco Council of District Merchants’ Associations and enjoys being a Big Brother in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters mentor program.

  • James Newman
  • James Newman, MD
    James Newman, MD completed his fellowship in Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Stanford University where he continues to serve on the Clinical Faculty. He has performed over one thousand surgical procedures and is trained in the use of every major laser system used in plastic surgery today. Dr. Newman is well known for his surgical expertise and shares his clinical experience by teaching surgical residents at Stanford University as well as authoring over 30 scientific publications related to plastic surgery and laser surgery.

  • Marzieh Oghabian
  • Marzieh Oghabian, DDS
    Dr. Marzieh Oghabian, graduated from Case Western University School of Dentistry in Cleveland OH with a doctor of dental surgery . Dr. Oghabian was awarded the "Excellence in Prosthodontics" award from Case Western where she also completed an externship in Oral Surgery. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Neurophysiology and Biology from University of California, at Davis. She is a member of the American Dental Association.

  • Cheryl Calmis
  • Cheryl Calmis, RDH, BS
    Cheryl Calmis, RDH, BS is a registered dental hygienist in the San Francisco Bay area. She graduated from U. C. San Francisco with a Bachelor of Science degree in Dental Hygiene. Ms. Calmis' clinical experiences include laser assisted periodontal therapy, sedation dentistry, and non-surgical periodontal treatment. Prior to becoming a dental hygienist, Cheryl worked as a Microbiology Lab technician in the biotech industry after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from San Jose State University.

  • Alissa Pacheco
  • Alissa Pacheco, RDH
    Alissa has worked in the dental field for 10 years. She got her dental assisting and dental hygiene degrees at Diablo Valley College. She loves learning about dentistry and enjoys helping people get healthy one smile at a time. In her spare time, Alissa loves to bake and play with her young daughter.