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Introduction:
Enhance your understanding of the issues of pediatric laser dentistry (including tongue-ties and lip- ties) and start the process of becoming a board-certified laser surgeon! As many as 5-percent of all babies born in the US have tongue-ties significant enough to cause breastfeeding difficulties. Affected babies often fail to thrive and can be erroneously labeled as “lazy nursers” or “stubborn feeders”.

A good surgical laser for cutting soft tissue must be able to vaporize soft tissue, while at the same time efficiently coagulating surgical margins. Not all laser wavelengths are suitable to comply with both requirements. This course focuses on the practical aspects of soft tissue laser surgery and on the fundamental processes involved in the laser-tissue interaction; it helps attendees learn how deep the laser beam cuts and how deep the coagulation and hemostasis extend into the surgical margins. Our hands-on participation lab is designed to train attendees on what surgical lasers can do safely and efficiently.

Clinical Curriculum:

• Demonstrate a wide range of didactic and clinical tools for the use of lasers in pediatric dentistry;
• Present basic knowledge about Dental Lasers adhering to the established standards of education;
• Instruct Dentists, Lactation Consultants, Speech and Language Therapists, and other allied healthcare providers to understand the efficient and safe application of laser energy in everyday practice;
• Provide sound scientific basis and proven efficacy of the use of lasers in Dentistry in order to ensure public safety;
• Explore current methods of clinical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of lingual and labial ties.
  Attendees will be able to:
  • Understand infant sucking physiology and how tongue ties impair infant suck;
  • Use reliable diagnostic criteria to screen babies for this condition; and
  • Understand all consequences and benefits of using lasers to remove oral restrictions
• Through participation in a hands-on workshop, the course attendees will learn to remove oral restrictions using soft-tissue lasers.

Laser Curriculum:
Laser Surgery and Safety Basic Knowledge Certification Curriculum for this Course has been developed by the American Laser Study Club (ALSC). The ALSC’s curriculum overcomes the known limitations of many laser dentistry courses, and includes the detailed physics of soft tissue ablation and coagulation with laser and hot tip (non-laser) devices. Laser hands-on wet lab on tissue samples will include laser safety instructions, various laser technique demonstrations, and frenectomy simulations. Laser instructions will be assisted by guest speaker Peter Vitruk, PhD, MlnstP, CPhys, a laser physicist who founded the American Laser Study Club and LightScalpel LLC.

Instructors:

• Martin Kaplan, DMD
• Cara Riek, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, IBCLC
• Piya Gandhi, DDS
• Adam Shisler, DDS, MSD
• Brenden Taylor, DDS, MSD
• Rachael Garrett, DDS, MSD
• Kristie Gatto, MA, CCC-SLP, COM™
• Peter Vitruk, PhD