Q: What has made Solea unique in the dental market since its introduction in 2014?
A: Solea is the first CO2 9.3 ?m laser that is FDA-cleared for both hard and soft tissue. Native CO2 lasers, at 10.6 ?m, only work on soft tissue. Erbium lasers only vaporize water and slowly chip enamel away. Solea uses an oxygen-18 isotope and other modifications to emit 9.3 ?m, nearing the peak absorption of hydroxyapatite. This isotopic CO2 laser actually vaporizes enamel with exceptional speed and precision. On soft tissue, it allows you to feather into cuts for fast, precise cutting with a dramatic decrease in bleeding. Additionally, computer-controlled mirrors, or galvos, inside the handpiece manipulate Solea’s beam thousands of times per second. Variable patterns are created, with the correct spot size for the type of tissue and the type of cutting desired—from smooth to coarse and from fast to very fast.
Solea has the familiar feel of a traditional high-speed handpiece and a variable-speed foot pedal, so most dentists are up and running after a quick day of training.
Q: What has been the impact of recent developments with the FDA and the software upgrades?
A: Getting FDA approval for Solea to be used on osseous tissue was a big deal. It adds even greater value for our customers who can add more procedures to their repertoire and makes Solea a compelling option for specialists including periodontists and oral surgeons.
Rolled out last spring, Solea 3.0 is based on software so simple, it’s like a car with an automatic transmission—you simply turn it on, step on the pedal, and go. Here’s the workflow: Turn on Solea, direct the beam, step on the foot pedal—softer for soft tissue and harder for hard tissues. There’s nothing to adjust. Solea 3.0 now cuts 2.5 times faster, and 5 times more smoothly on enamel than with previous software.
Solea users found that with the 3.0 upgrade, achieving analgesia has never been more predictable for virtually all cavity preps, regardless of enamel thickness or the depth of the preparation. That’s very powerful.
Q: You’ve made continuous improvements since Solea was introduced. What is your goal?
A: To make laser dentistry accessible to all dentists and all patients for the widest possible range of procedures. Our goal is simplicity, speed, and clinical efficacy. The elimination of anesthesia, combined with high-speed cutting, results in reduced chair time and increased productivity. All our upgrades are offered free to existing users. Again, we stress simplicity. Less time, less pain, less bleeding, and faster healing are all proven patient-focused practice builders.
