Billing Codes and ROI

Among the most important arguments in favor of choosing a CO₂ laser for the practice, dentists name the fast Return on Investment (ROI) that laser dentistry provides. For instance, Dr. Alan Winner, DDS, New York, NY notes:

Does the flexible waveguide CO₂ laser pay for itself in terms of the vast amount of time it’s saving me, the lack of needing second appointments and follow-ups? Absolutely!

Dr. Stephen Guttenberg, MD, DDS, Washington DC, President of the Washington Institute for Mouth, Face, and Jaw Surgery, past President of the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Chairman of the Training and Education committee at the Washington Hospital Center, reports that he uses his CO₂ laser daily:

It’s so much easier with the flexible waveguide CO₂ laser … it’s like having a pencil in your hand. …The laser has paid for itself a hundred-fold.

In order for LightScalpel CO₂ laser dentistry to generate profit, the LightScalpel laser should be used frequently – it will allow the clinician to broaden the repertoire of soft-tissue procedures, save time per visit, often without the need to wait until anesthesia takes effect, and enable quick hemostasis and no need for sutures. LightScalpel lasers help to complete treatments in fewer appointments and permit the clinician to complete procedures faster, cleaner, with quicker healing time and better aesthetic results. Finally, LightScalpel lasers enable the clinician to project a ‘high-tech’ image and attract more patients.

Incorporating our LightScalpel CO₂ laser into soft-tissue surgery allows the clinician to provide patients with a higher quality of care and comfort while increasing the efficiency and profitability of the practice because:

1. LightScalpel lasers enhance procedure capabilities of the practice, i.e. it allows the clinician to perform soft-tissue procedures and treatments, which are often referred out to specialists because they are not easily accomplished with a scalpel. These include periodontal treatment (sulcular debridement), frenectomies, vestibuloplasty, fibroma removal, soft-tissue biopsies, gingivectomy, gingivoplasty, soft-tissue crown lengthening, aphthous or herpetic lesions treatment, to name just a few. The increased number and variety of soft tissue CO₂ laser dentistry soft-tissue procedures maximizes profit for the dental practice;
2. LightScalpel lasers facilitate challenging procedures, such as those where an aesthetic result is important (due to the laser’s ability to cut with high precision, minimal thermal damage, no wound contraction or scarring, etc.). The  CO₂ laser also enhances surgery in patients with hemorrhagic disorders (due to its ability to quickly achieve hemostasis), and packing cords no longer takes up as much of the dentist’s time and effort, as gingival troughing is implemented instead;
3. LightScalpel lasers maximize the number of procedures completed in the practice per week/month. It saves the clinician time per visit and reduces the number of appointments required for treatment completion. The CO₂ laser enables the dentist to take crown impressions in vascular tissues without re-appointing, perform certain procedures faster due to the lack of anesthetic requirement and/or need for sutures, and so on. For example, gingival recontouring during the restoration of cervical carious lesions, or treating additional lesions in another quadrant can increase the efficiency and profitability of the operatory time, as well as provide better patient care.
4. LightScalpel lasers are excellent marketing devices capable of drawing new patients to a practice and increasing the laser ROI.