Patch Blog: Laze Me Bro!

Alright, I can’t help it; might have happened back in 2007 at University of Florida (still makes me laugh every time I go to YouTube) but what do you expect from the SEC? Seriously, “Don’t taze me bro!”?

Don’t know about you but if I ever get pulled over again for drivin’ down Las Tunas without a license plate in front because (even though I sculpt teeth almost every day) I don’t drill holes into my car, I will not scream “Don’t write me up bro!!!”

Call the wrong uniform “bro” and you just might get tazed.

And sometimes we can lose track of stuff, maybe even take a few things for granted. Seems like a human condition luckily not punishable by Taser within the confines of Temple City.

I know in Law School, they teach students not to assume because assuming tends to make an ass of you and me. And now I have a better sense of why there are so many freakin lawyer jokes. I mean, what usually happens when you teach someone what not to do?

And “assuming” you’re following my drift, I tend to forget some of the dentistry we’ve implemented years ago might still be kind of new to folks.

Way back when I was starting out in Temple City, seemed like it was always summertime and the livin’ was easy…and we had retail. Never dreamed I’d ever use a laser.

But today, we’re better than good with patients asking us to “laze me bro.”

My early laser experience was strictly limited to James Bond, Goldfinger, and potentially a very cool way to divvy up dreaded dental school instructor, Dr. Richard “wrath of” Kahn (I didn’t expect the procedure would reveal even the tiniest remnants of a heart.)

So who knew today and since about the mid-90s, I’d be lost without my assortment of lasers? Even cooler than laser fillet of Kahn, the tool is kinder than my Aunt Clara when it comes to patient comfort and healing.

And even though I buy or lease most of the equipment around here, up until this year seemed like I was always battling the hygienists for laser time. Twin Towers of Hygiene Jen and Adrien got so possessive that on a good day I’d get to borrow one of their lasers. But today everyone is totally happy with their own toothbrush, coffee mug, and…laser.

Lasers have been part of our hygiene program since ’96. We’ve had great results with laser-assisted periodontal care and the beauty is the results are measureable. Soft tissue lasers are very effective in gently removing chronically infected or inflamed tissue while virtually vaporizing harmful bacteria. Secondary infection is non-existent, healing is accelerated, and patients are comfortable since lasers gently seal off nerve endings and capillaries. A note: Patients managing periodontal disease live an average seven years longer.

Since ’96, our non-surgical periodontal care has helped make gum surgery quite the rarity in our practice. And when limited surgeries are required, lasers produce beautiful results with rapid healing.

I get to use the laser restoratively on an everyday basis. I’ll use the tool on virtually every crown we restore to manage supportive gum tissue. Back in the Dark Ages, managing tooth decay under the gum line would require surgery, eight additional weeks for healing, and a 50-100% increase in the fee. Today, we contour tissue with a laser in 2-minutes for less than the cost of a cleaning.

And I will not taze anyone consenting, “Please laze me Bro.”