Laser in dentistry Key points Flashcards
Basic components of lasers:
Several components are necessary to constitute a dental laser unit:
- The optical cavity (or resonator) that includes the active medium
- The active medium which characterizes different wavelengths of specific lasers
- The pumping source (or energy source) to supply the energy necessary for the stimulation
- A controller that is a software that controls the modality and parameter of laser emission and a cooler , necessary for cooling the laser system
- The delivery system that transports the laser energy to a terminalhandpiece and tips and finally to the tissue
Active medium used in dentistry
(know the active medium)
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Delivery system:
Once generated, laser light is delivered to the target.
Various delivery systems, depending on the wavelength carried, are:
- Optic fiber,
- Hollow fiber,
- Articulated arm.
What about dentistry?
Application in dentistry
- Hard tissue (bone vs teeth).
- Soft tissue (skin vs gingiva and other oral cavity soft tissues).
Laser has been used in a range of dental applications.
In Restorative Dentistry, various types of lasers have been developed for:
- Diagnostic purposes (e.g. caries detection).
- Operative applications (e.g. cavity preparation, restorations, and teeth whitening).
- Other dental applications.
Please note, concerning application of laser in preventive dentistry:
Laser technology may be used as a complementary technique as well as an alternative to traditional tools, result in addition of several therapeutic advantages in restorative dentistry!
Among them, we can consider the following advantages:
- It has high affinity for carious tissues and so is selective and minimally invasive.
- It creates macrocraters that improve the surface for bonding retention.
- It can be used on both hard and soft tissues, including the pulp.
- It has strong decontaminating effect.
- It is safe due to the absence of the use of rotating instruments in the mouth.
- It provides comfort because it works without contact and vibration on the surface.
- It is less painful, and in many cases, the use of local anaesthetics can be avoided.
- It has a favourable psychological impact on phobic and paediatric patients.
Operative and Clinical advantages
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Possible outcomes of laser on tissue:
Laser may result production of several phenomenon:
- Transmission
- Reflection
- Absorption
- Scatter
The target tissue:
- Substances present in most tissues of the human body, such as water, hydroxyapatite, collagen protein substances, melanin, and hemoglobin, are widely represented in the hard and soft oral tissues.
- In restorative dentistry, the main target tissues are the dental hard tissue (enamel, dentin, and decayed tissue), composed of different percentages of hydroxyapatite, water, and collagen matrix.
- From the point of view of optical physics, these components are defined as “chromophores” and have selective affinity for the wavelengths 2,780 nm and 2,940 nm of the medium-infrared spectrum
Classification of dental laser wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum:
Laser can be distinguished according to their clinical use in dentistry in soft-tissue lasers and hard-tissue lasers, also called all-tissue lasers.
Another classification considers the position of laser wavelength** on the **electromagnetic spectrum of light.
Classification of laser according to clinical use in dentistry
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Lasers for dental applications:
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/brainscape-prod/system/cm/386/536/253/a_image_thumb.png?1654350729)
How enamel of dentin ablation occur?
ERBIUM FAMILY LASER
ERBIUM LASER
Mechanism of interaction of Erbium family lasers on hard tissue:
The interaction of the erbium laser with the hard tissue is the result of a complex mechanism, which involves primarily the photothermal effect and, secondarily, the photomechanical and photoacoustic effects that occur rapidly (within mS).