Effects of a superpulsed CO2 laser on human teeth

The effects of laser exposure on mineralized tissues like enamel have been explored for years as a technique to remove caries and for dental hard-tissue preparation. However the efficiency of this technique has been questioned. In this work, six freshly-extracted third molars were irradiated by a superpulse of CO2 laser, generally used in Transmyocardio Revascularization, and submitted to Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analyzes. The cavities caused by laser irradiation on the dental tissues were analyzed considering its shape and depth. The CO2 superpulse presented a high efficiency in the removal of dental mass and no sign of carbonized tissue was found on the ablated surface. All cavities generated by laser irradiation presented a conic shape with average depth depending on energy density applied.