PerioLase

According to information provided by the manufacturer, 5 years after LANAP treatment, 95% of all patients remain stable.¹ PerioLase is also designed for intraoral soft-tissue dental, general, oral-maxillofacial, and cosmetic surgery. It is intended for ablating, incising, excising, vaporization, and coagulation of soft tissue.

Ease of Use

According to MDT, PerioLase is versatile and easy to use. When the 9 dentists who participated in the evaluation of PerioLase were asked to rate its ease of use, 6 rated it as excellent, 2 rated it as very good, and 1 rated it as good. One evaluator said the laser is “extremely easy to use compared to other [lasers].” Another evaluator described the laser as having a “very simple menu-driven design.”

Size and Weight

When asked about the importance of size and weight when purchasing a laser, 2 rated them as important to very important, 3 were neutral on the importance, 3 said they are somewhat important, and 1 said they are not important at all.
The evaluators were then asked to rate the size and weight of PerioLase. Four rated the size as excellent to very good, 4 rated size as good, and 1 rated it as fair. One evaluator described the size as “reasonable— large but easy to move.” Another said the laser is “easy to roll through doorways.”
With regard to weight, 4 evaluators rated PerioLase as excellent to very good, 4 rated it as good, and 1 rated it as fair. One evaluator described the laser as “heavier than some but very portable.” Another evaluator said that the weight “is not noticeable because of good wheels.”

Cost and Cost Effectiveness

The PerioLase costs about $1374.00 per month to lease. According to MDT, one half of one patient per month covers the monthly lease payment, with the other half of treatment as profit.
When the evaluators were asked to rate the cost and cost effectiveness of PerioLase, 5 rated it as excellent, 3 rated it as very good, and 1 rated it as good. “Cost—always too much,” said 1 evaluator. However, he went on to say, “Effectiveness—absolutely wonderful. I’m a periodontist and this has been my primary treatment for periodontitis for the past 8 years with great success.” Another evaluator said, “I paid for my laser in 1-1/2 months of use.”

Maintenance Requirements

The evaluators rated the maintenance requirements associated with PerioLase. Six rated the laser as excellent, 1 rated it as very good, and 2 rated it as good. One evaluator explained that he has 2 PerioLase models, “the original purchased 8+ years ago, never serviced yet. The newer model bought 4 years ago, also never needed service yet.” Another evaluator said that he returned his unit for routine service after 2 years and the manufacturer “supplied me with a loaner while my unit was being serviced.”

Training

Good training was very important for all the evaluators when they were asked what characteristics they look for when purchasing a laser. Since 2002, MDT has been an ADA-CERP and AGD-PACE recognized provider through the Institute for Advanced Laser Dentistry. When the evaluators were asked to rate the training they received with the PerioLase, 8 rated it as excellent and 1 rated it as very good. One evaluator described it as “the best CE ever.” Another evaluator said that the training was long “but very good and necessary.” A third evaluator said, “No other laser company offers the same quality or thorough training that MDT does.”

Overall Satisfaction

All 9 evaluators said that they would definitely recommend PerioLase to their dental colleagues, and all said they would definitely purchase the laser in the future. When asked to give their overall satisfaction rating for PerioLase, 8 rated it as excellent and 1 rated it as very good. With regard to training, 1 evaluator said that the training was “very thorough and made me feel comfortable with the laser before integrating into my practice.” Another evaluator noted that “the extensive training that Millennium Dental Technologies offers makes use of the unit very simple.”

Reference

1. Yukna RA, Carr RL, Evans GH. Histologic evaluation of an Nd:YAG laser-assisted new attachment procedure in humans. Int J Periodontics Restorative Dent. 2007;27(6):577-587.