Er: YAG Lasers in Dentistry

Abstract

Pulsed Er : YAG laser system has been found to be an effective instrument for drilling hard dental tissue. This article summarizes the results which were obtained with the constructed Er : YAG dental laser system whose radiation interacts with the hard dental tissue. Different tests with this system were made in vitro. The shapes of the prepared cavities were studied either by using varying laser energies (from 70 to 500 mJ) for a constant number of pulses or varying number of pulses (from one to thirty) for constant laser energy. Also the tests with the cutting speed were made. It was recognized that the preparation with the laser radiation is a little slower than with a classical technique. Besides the study of higher energy effect, the low-energy Er : YAG laser radiation was used for laser etching and conditioning. It was proved that the energy about 100 mJ is sufficient for tooth tissue conditioning. The measured share bond strength of the composite restoration with the tooth tissue treated by laser radiation is comparable with the strength which is needed for the example when the tissue was prepared by classical chemical treatment. Copyright © 1998 by MANK Hayκa/Interperiodica Publishing.