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3 Questions With Dr. Ed Kusek

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3 Questions With Dr. Ed Kusek

My father was a big promoter of higher education and stressed that education makes for a better life,” says Dr. Ed Kusek, a Dentaltown editorial advisory board member who recently was named president of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. “I love to learn and love to share my knowledge to colleagues, that is exactly what the AAID professes.” This month, in his second article for Dentaltown, Kusek shares a case study in which he used some of the latest laser technology while treating a dental trauma patient, which inspired our questions about the importance of continually learning, which laser dentists might want to lead with, and more.
Your article includes some relatively novel technology for dentists, including three different lasers to assist with facets of treatment like photobiomodulation and regional acceleratory phenomenon (RAP). How did you come to learn about, and then decide to incorporate, these treatment modes into your practice?

The first time I saw how lasers could change the way I do surgery and control postoperative pain and complications, I knew I had to have this technology for my patients. I learned mostly with the Academy of Laser Dentistry and different company courses. I was an implant dentist first, and many techniques like RAP are discussed in courses given by the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID). When I learned how an erbium laser works, I thought it would be great for decortication of bone and deepithelization of soft tissue, and it was an automatic choice to use a laser for photobiomodulation because there’s nothing else like that in dentistry.

If a general dentist could afford to incorporate only one laser right now, which type would you recommend, and why?

That’s a loaded question! I tell dentists to write down a list of procedures they want to do, then look at which laser can accomplish most of those (because not all lasers can do all procedures). So if you’re looking to be more proficient with crown and bridge, then a diode laser; if you want to do frenectomies, a CO2 laser; if looking at endodontics, an erbium laser.

I routinely use lasers for biopsies, because they result in better hemostasis than traditional methods. But before clinicians submit tissue samples to oral pathologists, they’ll need to ensure the pathologist is OK with the use of lasers and informed about which type of laser was used.

As a practice owner who also teaches dentistry, what percentage of your work week is dedicated to professorial duties, and what percentage goes to seeing patients in your own practice?

I see patients 4½ days a week, but if I lecture and need to travel, that does affect my clinical hours. I have a partner and an associate to fill in that gap, but there also are still some procedures that only I do. And last November, I was named president of the AAID, which means multiple meetings throughout the week—usually after clinical hours. Preparing for lectures is also mostly done after hours; I like to be busy and my family is all grown up.

But make sure family is first! Clinicians need to balance family life and professional life. Just as you need to keep growing as a dentist and keep up with new and different techniques, you also need to make a commitment to be active with your family. I coached soccer and did different activities with my kids as they were growing up.
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
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