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Ankylosed Tooth Extraction
By Timothy Anderson, DDS on May 13, 2022
Case Summary:
16-year-old male was referred by ortho for comprehensive care and extraction of tooth #T. Patient’s mother was
very hesitant to have sedation done with the local oral surgeon, so she inquired about the possibility of having the
procedure completed in-office.
Technique Used:
This procedure was performed without injectable anesthetic using the hard and soft tissue selection and 100%
mist. Initial approach to the case was to just elevate and luxate. However, that only resulted in movement on #28
and #30 due to the extent of the ankylosis. Solea was used to trough the tooth and selectively remove bone
around the ankylosed tooth. The tooth was then sectioned with Solea until access depth and water collection
slowed down the ablation. A surgical handpiece was then utilized to complete the section. No sutures and
minimal bleeding resulted in a very clean and efficient surgery. The total procedure time was less than 30 minutes.
Solea Advantage:
The use of Solea aided in both the psychological and surgical management of this case. The quick and smooth cutting of the laser helped to reduce both the patient and the parent’s anxiety when compared to a traditional surgicalhandpiece. The major surgical benefit was the extreme precision and efficiency of the laser’s cutting. A large flap
was not needed and there was minimal bleeding from the incision sites. Overall, the laser resulted in a lesstraumatic
procedure that significantly enhanced the patient experience, especially considering the nature of the procedure.