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How Dental Lasers Have Changed the Patient Experience for Good
By Dr. Francisco A. Banchs, DDS, DMD, MSc
Diplomate, American Board of Endodontics
clinician spotlight
How Dental Lasers Have Changed the Patient Experience for Good
By Dr. Francisco A. Banchs, DDS, DMD, MSc
Diplomate, American Board of Endodontics
As a user of BIOLASE lasers since June 2020, I feel confident in sharing that regardless of the kind of dental practice you currently run, lasers can improve it in every possible way. Although I was aware of dental lasers for many years, I was not aware of the impact that lasers can have in an already successful endodontic practice.
We own 6 Waterlase iPlus units, as well as the Epic X, and use them routinely for all surgical and nonsurgical endodontic procedures.
Lasers helped us transition from a multi-visit endodontic practice into a single visit endodontic practice in a completely flawless manner. Now our patients experience less post-op discomfort, and they don’t have to come back for a second appointment. As a result, our schedule can accommodate more patients in pain, boosting our availability for referring doctors, as well as our bottom line.
While using dental lasers, I have also noticed that apprehensive patients tend to feel at ease when they learn that their procedure will involve lasers. Although we rarely encounter any issues in terms of case acceptance, I have noticed that patients feel more comfortable moving forward with their treatment because they’re impressed with our laser technology, making it a perfect fit for the culture of our practice.
In fact, one of my most memorable experiences involving lasers was when we were giving an anxious patient an explanation of how we would use our Waterlase during his surgical procedure. Once we told him we were going to perform the whole procedure using laser technology, he interrupted and said that alone made him feel comfortable enough to move forward with his surgery. These types of comments from patients are becoming more and more common since implementing dental lasers in our practice.
Patients like the one described end up raving about our practice because our lasers have helped them undergo a smooth and painless procedure. The tools that we are using, which patients have not always been fortunate enough to experience before coming to our offices, make the experience unique. As I mentioned, through the use of dental lasers our patients also have less post-op pain, which is likely related to how thorough the disinfection procedure is when our lasers are used.
Our lasers also contribute to our minimally invasive philosophy. Being able to preserve more of their natural tooth structure means our patients will get to enjoy their beautiful smiles for longer.
Using Waterlase has impacted my dental practice in many positive ways. First, our lasers helped us treat patients in a single visit instead of requiring multiple separate treatments, which has opened up our schedule and allowed us to see more patients who are in pain even faster. From a business perspective, having the ability to see more patients each day has increased our productivity levels and given us the ability to conduct more procedures. Additionally, at the end of the day, we’re less fatigued because the procedures are now more efficient and of course less time-consuming.
Over the years, we’ve become increasingly committed to building and maintaining the high-end nature and reputation of our practice, and Waterlase fits right into that goal. Now that I’ve seen the benefits for our patients and our practice firsthand, my only regret is not adopting them sooner. If you ask me, dental lasers have a place in every aspect of the way you practice dentistry today.
Watch Videos by Dr. Francisco A. Banchs
About Dr. Francisco A. Banchs, DDS, DMD, MSc
Diplomate, American Board of Endodontics
Born in Caracas, Venezuela he obtained his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1997. In 2001 he was the recipient of the prestigious Jacob Freedland Scholarship Award and in the summer of 2002, after completing a 3-year residency, he was awarded a Certificate of Endodontics and a Master’s of Science degree in Oral Biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry.
In 2004 he became a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics. He obtained his Doctor of Dental Medicine Degree in 2004 at Temple University School of Dentistry. In 2005 he completed his second specialty training and obtained a Certificate in Endodontic Emergency Management at Temple University School of Dentistry.
He is the former Director of the Endodontic Emergency Service (2002-2005) and the Advanced Emergency Dentistry Course at Temple University School of Dentistry where he was actively involved in teaching at the graduate and undergraduate level.
In addition to being a national and international lecturer, his work has been published in Spanish, Japanese and English and several of his cases have been published in “Pathways of the Pulp,” the most prominent textbook in endodontics worldwide.
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