THE MISSING PIECE IN THE DIGITAL PRACTICE
The modern general practice has never been more digitally equipped, from intraoral scanners, in-office CAD/CAM mills, CBCT, to 3D printers. For the dentist who has embraced this type of ecosystem, the workflow promise is clear: better outcomes, greater efficiency, and a patient experience that exceeds what traditional dentistry can deliver.
And yet, for many digitally invested practices, something is still missing.
"I think one of the things I love about Solea is how seamlessly it integrates into so many of the technology platforms we're already using," says Jeffrey Rohde, DDS, MS, a general practitioner who has used the Solea® All-Tissue Laser (Convergent Dental) for over 10 years. "Dentists sometimes think they need to be categorized into one grouping of products, like, 'Oh, I'm a digital dentist, so this is kind of what I do.' But Solea integrates into all of it."
There is a growing conversation among tech-forward GPs that Solea, a 9.3-micron CO₂ laser that enables anesthesia-free, blood-free, and pain-free procedures across both hard and soft tissue,1 is not simply another device to add to the operatory. It is the catalyst that allows a digital practice to operate at its full potential.
THE MISSING LINK IN THE DIGITAL WORKFLOW
Robin J. Henderson, DDS, a general dentist practicing in rural Washington state, describes the connection directly. "I never use my intraoral scanner without using my Solea," she says. "Solea gives more options than ever before with in-office CAD/CAM restorations and it also provides an opportunity to do so much more in dentistry without local anesthetic."
For Dr. Henderson, the connection is no coincidence. "I believe that dentists who embrace the digital workflow are used to disrupting the status quo," she explains. "And I see that in common with Solea users. Both technologies give dentists better, more predictable outcomes than ever before, while exceeding patient expectations and performing more dentistry in a single visit. Both are also far more engaging for team members than the way we used to treat teeth."
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| Figure 1. Post caries removal and Solea decontamination, immediately prior to seat of restoration. Image courtesy of Robin J. Henderson, DDS. |
A specific integration Dr. Henderson emphasizes is the management of soft tissue and caries in the same visit as crown preparation and placement. Using Solea in conjunction with her CEREC® Replace Tool, she performs precise caries removal, tissue management, and decontamination, all without anesthesia, as a single unified workflow. "When I'm going to do a same-day restoration," she explains, "I wait on my final caries removal in these areas until right before seating. I accomplish final removal and decontamination with Solea, then seal everything off without any exposure to contaminants."
She adds: "What I love is how beautiful this looks, how well Solea prepares the tooth for a great seal and bond (Figure 1.). We refer to this step as decontamination, and we do that every time immediately before etching, whether it's direct or indirect dentistry."
EFFICIENCY THAT COMPOUNDS ACROSS THE APPOINTMENT
Timothy Anderson, DDS, built a startup practice in North Dakota around digital technology, including CAD/CAM, CBCT, and 3D printing. He describes Solea as the tool that made the entire ecosystem work harder.
"The time savings are multifactorial," Dr. Anderson explains. "The fact that you're not waiting for anesthetic, the fact that I can work in multiple quadrants at once, the fact that it cuts at near bur speed. My patients are jumping into the chair, getting their work completed, and leaving without being numb."
This capacity for multi-quadrant, same-visit dentistry is where the digital and laser workflows converge most powerfully. While the mill is running on a crown in one quadrant, Solea allows Dr. Anderson and dentists like him to move to another quadrant and complete direct restorations, soft tissue management, or other procedures without administering additional anesthetic.
"Rather than having quadrant dentistry spaced out over the month," Dr. Rohde similarly notes, "we're doing it all in truly one appointment."
For practices with in-office milling, the efficiency dividend of Solea compounds further. Dr. Henderson's patients, who sometimes drive two hours each way, "really appreciate that they can get more done in a single visit. They love that with Solea, they can have dentistry done and then go to Costco without half of their face numb."
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| Figure 2. One scan was made with cord and the other with Solea troughing. The troughing took less than 15 seconds. No anesthetic was used during the treatment. Images courtesy of Timothy Anderson, DDS. |
THE TISSUE SCULPTING ADVANTAGE IN RESTORATIVE AND AESTHETIC CASES
Perhaps the most underappreciated integration point between Solea and the digital workflow is in tissue management for restorative cases. The procedures where soft tissue control directly determines scan quality, impression accuracy, and ultimately the fit and aesthetics of the restoration.
"This changed my concept of how I do my digital impressioning," Dr. Anderson says. "Now all of a sudden I can visually see the difference between my margin and the tissue. I don't have that guessing game. It changed the digital optical, and it doesn't matter if you use a digital scanner or VPS traditional impression. Your results are going to be better."
Solea's tissue-selective nature, its ability to affect soft tissue at one energy level and enamel or dentin at another, gives clinicians precision that no scalpel or diode laser can replicate. For anterior aesthetic cases, that precision is transformative. "You're doing a cosmetic or veneer case and you have variable gum lines," Dr. Rohde explains. "Now we have the ability to fix that, and it's not hard, and it heals better and faster. The ability to sculpt soft tissue, to sculpt bone in any area of the mouth for a better restorative process, is one example of how we utilize this technology with all the other tools we have."