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With Live Surgery Demonstrations

Introduction

As many as 5-percent of all babies born in the US have tongue-ties significant enough to cause breastfeeding difficulties. Untreated tongue-ties may cause malocclusion, prognathism, mouth breathing and other issues later in life. The purpose of this course is to help clinicians better understand various aspects of pediatric laser surgery to treat tethered oral tissue (TOT) across all ages.

A good surgical laser for cutting soft tissue must be able to efficiently 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, as well as on the fundamental processes involved in the laser-tissue interaction and 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.

Instructors

• Martin Kaplan, DMD
• Allison Adams, DMD
• Mark Morris, DO, FACOP
• Peter Vitruk, PhD, MInstP, CPhys

Clinical Curriculum

With the renewed interest in TOT by both practitioners and the public, there should be an understanding of when the right time is to do a frenum release. Practitioners should recognize that a change in one area of the body, such as a frenectomy, can create a change in the whole body and it is important to understand the impact of this procedure as well as how a team approach is in the best interest of the patient.

The instructors believe that that to be successful with frenectomies, it is vital to address both the cause and compensations, as tongue- and lip-ties may signal a more global issue. The course will elucidate the following:

• Clinical signs of TOT;
• Current diagnostics utilized for identification of TOT;
• Global issues often associated with tongue and lip ties;
• Ways to evaluate a patient’s level of readiness for frenum release;
• Ways to incorporate myofunctional and osteopathic therapy with releases; and
• Consequences and benefits of using lasers to remove oral restrictions.

In addition, attendees will :

• Get an introduction to Science-based, safe and efficient use of surgical lasers for Dentists, Lactation Consultants, Speech and Language Therapists, et al.; and
• Learn to remove oral restrictions using soft-tissue lasers through observing live surgery demonstrations as well as through participation in a hands-on workshop.

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 wetlab on tissue samples will include different laser wavelengths and will include laser safety instructions and demonstrations. 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.

Course Certificates

Course participants, who successfully complete examination, will be awarded a LASER SAFETY basic knowledge CERTIFICATE from the Board of Laser Safety of the Laser Institute of America (DISCOUNTED cost for the ALSC members), as well as a Laser Dentistry and Laser Surgery Basic Knowledge and Hands-On participation Wetlab CERTIFICATE from the American Laser Study Club (FREE for the course participants).

About the ALSC

American Laser Study Club was founded to promote science-based laser dentistry, surgery, and safety education. The ALSC is proud of its curriculum and its distinguished membership, including our honorary members Gordon j. Christensen, DDS, MSD, PhD, and Rella P. Christensen, RDH, PhD, world-renowned leaders in dental product research and education, who welcomed the ALSC’s mission: “Peter, we congratulate you on starting a laser study club. It is greatly needed, and you are the man to do it.” Other Honorary Members of the ALSC are Charles M. Cobb, DDS, MS, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Missouri-Kansas City; and C. Kumar N. Patel, PhD, MS, the Inventor of the CO₂ Laser; Recipient of National Medal of Science (1996); Member of US National Inventors Hall of Fame 2012; Professor Emeritus, UCLA. The ALSC is proud to have helped many dentists and surgeons.