I have been using a soft-tissue laser for about 1 year now. I was hesitant at first, since I didn’t want to use anesthesia and possibly scare my young patients, but now I use it almost every day in my practice.
I use a compounding gel made locally for 5 minutes on the gums to be lasered prior to the procedure. This usually gives good anesthesia. I also use a ceramic bur prior to using the laser. This bur is amazing. I don’t know how it works, but it is fast and allows for good sculpting of the tissue. Then I use the laser for homeostasis and final sculpting of the soft tissue.
I had a hard time charging for this procedure initially, but now I charge per tooth that has had a gingivectomy. I got the insurance codes and filed for these procedures.
—Steven Astuto, DDS, MSD
Amarillo, Tex
