A high repetition rate TEA CO<sub>2</sub> laser operating at &#955;=9.3-&#956;m for the rapid and conservative ablation and modification of dental hard tissues

Kenneth Fan; Daniel Fried

doi:10.1117/12.661794

15 February 2006 A high repetition rate TEA CO₂ laser operating at λ=9.3-μm for the rapid and conservative ablation and modification of dental hard tissues

Kenneth Fan, Daniel Fried

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 6137, Lasers in Dentistry XII; 61370H (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.661794
Event: SPIE BiOS, 2006, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

TEA CO₂ lasers tuned to the strong mineral absorption of hydroxyapatite near λ=9-μm are ideally suited for the efficient ablation of dental hard tissues if the laser-pulse is stretched to greater than 5-10-μs to avoid plasma shielding phenomena. Such CO₂ lasers are capable of operating at high repetition rates for the rapid removal of dental hard tissues. An Impact 2500 TEA CO₂ laser system from GSI Lumonics (Rugby, UK) custom modified by LightMachinery (Ottawa, Canada) with a repetition rate of 0-500 Hz was used for rapid tissue removal. The single pulse ablation rates through enamel were determined for incident fluence ranging from (1-160 J/cm²). Lateral incisions using a computer controlled scanning stage and water spray were produced and the crater morphology and chemical composition were measured using optical microscopy and high-resolution synchrotron radiation infrared spectromicroscopy. The transmission through 2-meter length 300, 500, 750 and 1000-μm silica hollow waveguides was measured and 80% transmission was achieved with 40-mJ per pulse. The λ=9.3-μm laser pulses efficiently removed dental enamel at rates exceeding 15-μm per pulses with minimal heat accumulation. The residual energy remaining in tooth samples was measured to be 30-40% without water cooling, significantly lower than for longer CO₂ laser pulses. These results suggest that high repetition rate TEA CO₂ laser systems operating at λ=9.3-μm with pulse durations of 10-20-μs are ideally suited for dental application.

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Kenneth Fan and Daniel Fried "A high repetition rate TEA CO₂ laser operating at λ=9.3-μm for the rapid and conservative ablation and modification of dental hard tissues", Proc. SPIE 6137, Lasers in Dentistry XII, 61370H (15 February 2006); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.661794

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