title: Why wavelength and delivery systems are the most important factors in using a dental hard-tissue laser: a literature review.
abstract: Various lasers have been investigated in the dental clinic as an alternative to the dental drill for the treatment of dental hard tissues. Among the lasers, the erbium-based solid-state infrared lasers, operating at approximately 3 microm, have demonstrated they are effective in dental applications because of their high affinity for water in the hydroxyapatite of the tooth structure. Water is the dominant chromophore that absorbs the laser energy during hard-tissue treatment; this leads to well-established, mechanical, thermally driven, and explosive ablation, which is the basis for the erbium laser-tissue interaction. A review of the literature presents a number of studies in which the superior qualities of the Er:YAG laser, in particular, are demonstrated. Er:YAG irradiation results in the least amount of temperature increase at the laser-tooth interface. The Er:YAG laser generates photons with the strongest absorption by water in the enamel and dentin and, when combined with a water cooling spray, produces extremely minor zones of carbonization, debris, and necrosis after irradiation. Furthermore, the Er:YAG laser wavelength can be easily delivered with a hollow waveguide delivery system and contact sapphire tip, resulting in a more precise cavity preparation than other delivery systems. The Er:YAG laser system offers the optimal wavelength and the ability to be transmitted in the most efficient manner for successful dental hard-tissue ablation.
authors.affiliation: OpusDent USA, Natick MA, USA.
authors.forename: Eric S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Bornstein
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000601:surgery; D003804:Dentin / Q000601:surgery; D003814:Dentistry, Operative / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008027:Light; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000295:instrumentation; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D014867:Water