Natick, MA – June 13, 2014 — Convergent Dental, a privately held dental device and technology company, today announced that Solea™ was honored as the Gold winner in the 17th Annual Medical Design Excellence Awards competition’s “Dental Instruments, Equipment and Supplies” category. Winners were announced at the 2014 MDEA Ceremony held in conjunction with the MD&M East event at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. Winners were chosen based on five criteria: manufacturing and technological innovation; design and engineering advancements; patient benefits; business benefits; and overall improvement to healthcare industry.
Solea™ is a dental laser that is completely changing what it means to go to the dentist. Dentists perform over 95% of their procedures without anesthesia and over 98% of those patients report feeling no pain, with 100% preferring Solea over the drill. Solea™ eliminates the need for the drill and needle in a vast majority of dental procedures.
Solea is the world’s first-ever computer-aided CO2 laser to be cleared by the FDA for both hard and soft tissue procedures. The dental laser’s unique 9.3 µm wavelength is fast, virtually noiseless and enables Solea dentists to to provide their patients with a virtually soundless procedure that bears no resemblance to traditional dental experiences. Convergent Dental makes the transition to Solea effortless by delivering innovative technology packaged into a familiar interface for dentists who have used drills their entire careers. The only variable speed foot pedal for dental lasers and hand piece resemble those of the traditional drill, enabling dentists to become proficient with Solea after only one day of training. A simple touchscreen and sophisticated computer controls allow Solea dentists to easily select the type of tissue that is being worked on – i.e. enamel, dentin or soft tissue – so the system can optimize the beam for speed, precision and patient comfort.
“We are delighted that Solea’s unique blend of innovative technology and intuitive design is being honored by the Medical Design Excellence Awards,” said Convergent Dental CEO Michael Cataldo. “Convergent Dental worked closely with HERNETICS to create a product that wouldn’t require dentists to relearn their craft. Rather than force customers to learn new techniques, Solea lets dentists cut hard and soft tissue with a precise and powerful laser that performs like traditional dental tools. This is no small feat and is one of many reasons for Convergent Dental’s immediate impact on the dental industry.”
The MDEA is the medtech industry’s premier design competition committed to searching worldwide for the highest caliber finished medical devices, products, systems, or packaging available on the market. The awards program celebrates the achievements of the medical device manufacturers, their suppliers, and the many people behind the scenes—engineers, scientists, designers, and clinicians—who are responsible for the cutting-edge products that are saving lives; improving patient healthcare; and transforming medtech—one innovation at a time.
