RWS,
Have you seen the BLTI Research Page??? It has alot of information on the company including a news item regarding your question.
Research Page:
siliconinvestor.com
Press Release from May 21, 1997 regarding the difference between PLSIA laser and the BLTI Millennium
siliconinvestor.com
"While both systems use an erbium based laser and both have the potential to replace the standard dental drill, the similarities stop there.
"In fact, there are tremendous, fundamental differences between the two systems."
LaPoint then quoted Dr. Richard T. Hansen, a member of the faculty at UCLA Dental School's Center of Esthetic Dentistry, director of the Center of Advanced Dentistry in Fullerton, Calif., and a clinical investigator for the Premier laser: "My clinical impression is that the Premier erbium laser system removes hard tissues primarily through absorption of laser energy and subsequent vaporization. The laser energy seems to interact directly with the tissue, and it is the laser beam which primarily affects tissue cutting. The water stream, which is applied to the treatment site via a separate delivery system, provides tissue cooling and helps direct the laser energy thereby increasing cutting efficiency."
Contrasting BioLase's proprietary Millennium system, LaPoint continued, "Our Millennium system, however, is not a laser cutting system but rather is a hydro-kinetic tissue cutting system.
"A laser is used to rapidly energize and transform atomized water droplets into microscopic, high speed water particles capable of cutting both hard and soft tissues.
"Thus, cutting is achieved with a stream of cool, sterilized water. Millennium systems are currently approved for hard-tissue use in Germany and elsewhere in the European community, and units have already been shipped to our German distributor, Orbis High Tech, under a three year, $12 million dollar minimum purchase agreement.
Jane |
