Laser Technology for Caries Removal

Laser technology has been in the scope of dentistry community since Stern & Sognnaes (1964) studied laser application on dental hard tissues. Lasers have become an attractive instrument for many dental procedures including soft tissues surgery (Sperandio et al., 2011), decontamination (Benedicenti et al., 2008; Koba et al., 1998) and for assuring antiinflammatory effects (Lang-Bicuto et al., 2008). In restorative dentistry, laser has been used successfully for cavity preparation (De Moor et al., 2010; Obeidi et al., 2009), caries prevention (Namoour et al., 2011; Rechmann et al., 2011; Zezell et al., 2009), caries decontamination (Namour et al., 2011) and caries removal (Neves et al., 2011; White et al., 1993). For that, high intensity lasers are indicated, which are able to promote controlled temperature rise in a small and specific area of dental hard tissue (Ana et al., 2007). Depending on the temperature rise and the interaction of laser irradiation with dental tissues, it is possible to produce specific micro structural and/or mechanical changes related to a correct clinical application.