Characterization of Enamel and Dentin Response to Nd:YAG Picosecond Laser Ablation

Abstract

Our results show an important correlation between the surface morphology and the pulsed laser fluence, which is compatible to the ablation mechanisms presented when ultrashort laser pulses are used.

Influence of effective number of pulses on the morphological structure of teeth and bovine femur after femtosecond laser ablation

“…23,24 A Er: YAG laser (wavelength 2.94 μm) with a strong water absorption became popular in the past years for applications in orthopaedical, maxilofacial, and dental surgeries and for possible use in periodontal surgery. 23,25,26 Carbonizations were also observed using Nd:YAG lasers, 12,26,27 unlike what happened in our study using a femtosecond laser.…”

“…26 For laser ablation in picoseconds (ps), the destruction of the surrounding material is minimized due to the formation of plasma during the ablation process. 12 However, for both schemes (ns and ps) we still found evidence of thermal adjacent tissue damage.…”

“…Still, it is heavily debated whether the laser can replace mechanical instruments for many other applications working with hard tissues. 12 One of the biggest limitations is the slow rate of material removal, and then, in many cases, the usually unacceptable collateral damage, which is caused by overheating.…”

Controlling Dental Enamel–Cavity Ablation Depth with Optimized Stepping Parameters Along the Focal Plane Normal Using a Three Axis, Numerically Controlled Picosecond Laser

“…Studies by Lizarelli et al 13,14 showed that, at equal energy densities, picosecond laser ablation efficiency on dentin was approximately eight times that on enamel. This is primarily because dentin contains a large amount of collagen compared with enamel, making it easier to ablate.…”

Influência dos níveis de energia do laser Er:YAG na capacidade de ablação, microdureza e morfologia da dentina superficial e profunda

“…The overheated water is evaporated, resulting in a high steam pressure that causes microexplosions of tooth tissue, characterizing the thermomechanical ablation process [7,10,11]. Since Er:YAG laser energy is well absorbed by water, the higher content of water in dentin facilitates the action of the laser, and the relatively predominant organic composition of dentin, became this tissue less resistant to laser ablation than enamel [10,[15][16][17][18][19].…”