Laser Dentistry

Dental laser technologies are one of the most rapidly developing areas in the modern technology. When the laser was discovered in the 1960s, it was classified as a solution in search of a problem, and today, laser technology is applied in many different areas. It basically remained a field of research. Typically in the most frequent dental surgery, the caries therapy was frequently compared to most types of lasers; the conventional mechanical drills are still superior, particularly CW or long-pulse lasers. Only laser systems capable of providing ultrashort pulses might be an alternative to mechanical drills. The number of laser applications is enormous, and it is not possible to explain all of them here. In this chapter, the development of suitable application units for laser radiation and other topics of interest in dentistry including laser treatment of soft tissue as well as laser welding of dental bridges and dentures are discussed. In some of these areas, research has been very successful. However, many clinical studies and extensive engineering effort still remain to be done in order to achieve satisfactory results.