Interview: Waterlase™ Dental Laser

Imagine having a cavity comfortably filled without the drill, without shots and without a numb mouth afterward. At Weith Dental Care, Drs. William and Carol Weith are accomplishing just that on their patients every day.

Drs. William and Carol Weith


Q.: How are you able to do fillings without numbing your patients?

Dr. William Weith: We are using our state-of-the-art dental laser called the Waterlase™. With this new technology, we can offer our patients an alternative to the drill. You see, most of the discomfort from having dental work done comes from the heat, vibration and pressure on the teeth. With the Waterlase™, the only thing touching the tooth is a stream of water, so the vibration and pressure are eliminated and there is no heat produced.

Q.: So how does water take the place of the drill, what happens?

Dr. William Weith: The laser energizes the water so it can gently erode the tooth surface that has decay, without vibration or pressure. It is called the hydrophotonic process and it allows this wavelength laser energy to interact with the water to cause it to be so effective.

Dr. Carol Weith: Because there is no contact with the tooth and the laser energy can be varied, we can do many teeth very comfortably with out the need to give a numbing shot. We can then do bonded fillings in different areas of the mouth in the same visit, since the patient won't be numb all over. Even for soft tissues like gums, there is very little bleeding, minimal swelling or discomfort afterwards and a gel topical anesthetic is the only numbing needed--even for prodedures that have traditionally been done with a scalpel.

Q.: Isn't the laser expensive?

Dr. Carol Weith: Yes, that is true, but some things are worth it in order to give better care to our patients. In fact, we were the first dentists in Tampa to offer Waterlase™ dentistry. We thought the technology would be of great benefit and I think our patients agree.

Q.: Is it just that you are using less ansesthsia, or are there other benefits that we haven't discussed?

Dr. William Weith: Great question. The Waterlase™ has really changed the way we do dentistry. Since it can be used on hard tissues, teeth and bone, and soft tissues like gums,tongue and, the inside of the cheek, we can pick it up during many procedures to enhance what we are already doing with the drill and other instruments. We have been able to add some procedures that we were not doing before. It is a great addition to a cosmetic dental practice since the shape of the gums play such a critical role in the appearance and health of a smile. We can do cosmetic recontouring of gums very comfortably and with great results.

Q.: If somebody said you had to give up your laser, how would it affect your practice?

Dr. Carol Weith: I know every day I would be saying "this would be much better if we had a laser" I would really miss it.

Dr. William Weith: I would have to go backwards and practice the way I did before having the Waterlase™, so my patients and I wouldn't be very happy. I think I'll keep my laser, Thanks.

The Waterlase™ dental laser has allowed Drs. William and Carol Weith to bring advanced laser technology to Tampa for the benefit of their patients. It can be used in many procedures that formerly required anesthetic, drills or scalpels and is a complement to today's conservative bonding procedures.

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