Stuart Anderton
Mar 7, 20222 min
For many new users the process of tip selection and when and how to best initiate that tip can be quite confusing.
Woodpecker lasers come standard with a multi-tip handpiece which is a fibre optic bundle that carries the laser energy from the front of the laser to the surgical site.
What do the tip colours mean?
Orange - MF2 = 200µm
Blue - MF3 = 300µm
Silver - MF4 = 400µm
The larger the diameter, the larger the area over which the radiation is dispersed.
What does the number on the tip mean?
MF(diameter in microns)-(length in mm) - This means tip MF3-4 is a 300µm fibre, with a working length of 4mm.
DT(diameter in mm rounded to nearest 5) This means tip DT-30 is a 32mm diameter therapy tip.
BT(diameter in mm) This means tip BT-8 is a 8mm diameter therapy tip.
Surgical procedures
Endodontic procedures
Soft laser therapy
Miscellaneous procedures
Initiating the tip
Now after selecting the tip that you wish to use, one must consider whether to initiate the tip or not.
The process of initiating the tip will concentrate the laser energy in the tip essentially making it a “hot tip”. The monochromatic laser light is turned into heat and hence this process is called a photo-thermal reaction.
The heat that is generated causes a localised zone of vaporisation, surrounded by zones of carbonisation (try to keep this char zone as small as possible), coagulation and hyperthermia. The higher the settings, typically the faster the vaporisation, but the greater these other zones of unwanted lateral thermal damage may be.
In keeping with the Academy of Laser Dentistry’s most current guidelines, which “advise the use of the lowest average fluence to avoid risks of excessive heat complications whenever possible,” Of course total treatment time must also be kept in mind in trying to minimise the collateral thermal damage that can be created by prolonged exposure to laser energy through settings that are not above the ablation threshold required for vaporisation.
After selecting the appropriate tip:
Select single piece of blue articulating ribbon.
Set the laser at 0.5 watts
Touch the tip to the articulating paper first then step on foot pedal for ONE second.
Repeat 8 times or more. The tip should glow an incandescent orange when stepping on the foot pedal (like a candle flame)
Book an in-office demo
Let's set aside a time to meet in your office and demonstrate how to use the Woodpecker range of lasers.
Book an in-office demo HERE or call 1300 029 383.