Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
Accounting Policies (Policies)	Mar. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Biolase, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries and have been prepared on a basis consistent with the December 31, 2014 audited consolidated financial statements and include all material adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments and the elimination of all material intercompany transactions and balances, necessary to fairly present the information set forth therein. These unaudited, interim, consolidated financial statements do not include all the footnotes, presentations, and disclosures normally required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for complete consolidated financial statements. Certain amounts have been reclassified to conform to current period presentations. The consolidated results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2015 are not necessarily indicative of the results for the full year. The accompanying consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2014, included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 6, 2015, as amended on April 29, 2015 (the “2014 Form 10-K”).
Liquidity and Management's Plans	Liquidity and Management’s Plans The Company incurred a loss from operations, a net loss, and used cash in operating activities for the three months ended March 31, 2015. The Company has also suffered recurring losses from operations during the three years ended December 31, 2014. As of March 31, 2015, the Company had working capital of approximately $33.2 million. The Company’s principal sources of liquidity at March 31, 2015 consisted of approximately $23.7 million in cash and cash equivalents and $9.8 million of net accounts receivable. Additional capital requirements may depend on many factors, including, among other things, the rate at which the Company’s business grows, demands for working capital, manufacturing capacity, and any acquisitions that the Company may pursue. From time to time, the Company could be required, or may otherwise attempt, to raise capital through either equity or debt offerings. The Company cannot provide assurance that it will be able to successfully enter into any such equity or debt financings in the future or that the required capital would be available on acceptable terms, if at all, or that any such financing activity would not be dilutive to its stockholders.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates The preparation of these consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes. Significant estimates in these consolidated financial statements include allowances on accounts receivable, inventory, and deferred taxes, as well as estimates for accrued warranty expenses, indefinite-lived intangible assets, and the ability of goodwill to be realized, revenue deferrals for multiple element arrangements, effects of stock-based compensation and warrants, contingent liabilities, and the provision or benefit for income taxes. Due to the inherent uncertainty involved in making estimates, actual results reported in future periods may differ materially from those estimates.
Critical Accounting Policy	Critical Accounting Policies Information with respect to the Company’s critical accounting policies which management believes could have the most significant effect on the Company’s reported results and require subjective or complex judgments by management is contained on pages 41 to 43 in Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, of the 2014 Form 10-K. Management believes that there have been no significant changes during the three months ended March 31, 2015 in the Company’s critical accounting policies from those disclosed in Item 7 of the 2014 Form 10-K, except with regard to restricted cash equivalent as set forth below. Restricted Cash Equivalent The restricted cash equivalent represents a revolving 90-day certificate of deposit maintained by the Company as collateral in connection with corporate credit cards. At March 31, 2015, the restricted cash equivalent balance was $200,000.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments	Fair Value of Financial Instruments Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants in the principal market (or, if none exists, the most advantageous market) for the specific asset or liability at the measurement date (referred to as the “exit price”). The fair value is based on assumptions that market participants would use, including a consideration of nonperformance risk. Under the accounting guidance for fair value hierarchy there are three levels of measurement inputs. Level 1 inputs are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 2 inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly, other than Level 1. Level 3 inputs are unobservable due to little or no corroborating market data. The Company’s financial instruments, consisting of cash and cash equivalents, and accounts receivable, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities, approximate fair value because of the short maturity of these items. Financial instruments consisting of lines of credit approximate fair value, as the interest rates associated with the lines of credit approximates the market rates for debt securities with similar terms and risk characteristics.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements Changes to GAAP are established by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) in the form of accounting standards updates (“ASUs”) to the FASB’s Accounting Standards Codification. The Company considers the applicability and impact of all ASUs. ASUs not listed below were assessed and determined not to be applicable or are expected to have minimal impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position and results of operations. Recently Issued Accounting Standards In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASU 2014-09”), which supersedes nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under GAAP. The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is to recognize revenues when promised goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 defines a five step process to achieve this core principle and, in doing so, more judgment and estimates may be required within the revenue recognition process than are required under existing GAAP. The standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods therein, using either of the following transition methods: (i) a full retrospective approach reflecting the application of the standard in each prior reporting period with the option to elect certain practical expedients, or (ii) a retrospective approach with the cumulative effect of initially adopting ASU 2014-09 recognized at the date of adoption (which includes additional footnote disclosures). The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the pending adoption of ASU 2014-09 on its consolidated financial statements and has not yet determined the method by which it will adopt the standard during the year ending December 31, 2017. In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15, Disclosure of Uncertainties About an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern. The standard requires management to perform interim and annual assessments of an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year of the date the financial statements are issued and provides guidance on determining when and how to disclose going concern uncertainties in the financial statements. Certain disclosures will be required if conditions give rise to substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. ASU 2014-15 applies to all entities and is effective for annual and interim reporting periods ending after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this standard will have a material effect on its financial statements.
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Litigation	The Company discloses material loss contingencies deemed to be reasonably possible and accrues for loss contingencies when, in consultation with its legal advisors, management concludes that a loss is probable and reasonably estimable. The ability to predict the ultimate outcome of such matters involves judgments, estimates, and inherent uncertainties. The actual outcome of such matters could differ materially from management’s estimates.
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Tax Uncertainties	Accounting for uncertainty in income taxes prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return and provides guidance on de-recognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure, and transition. The Company has elected to classify interest and penalties as a component of its income tax provision. With respect to the liability for unrecognized tax benefits, including related estimates of penalties and interest, the Company did not record a liability for unrecognized tax benefits for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The Company does not expect any changes to its unrecognized tax benefit for the next twelve months that would materially impact its consolidated financial statements.