Femtosecond laser dentistry for precise and efficient cavity preparation in teeth.

High fluence focused femtosecond laser pulses were used to perform fast, high precision and minimally damaging cavity cutting of teeth at room temperature without using any irrigation or cooling system. The optimal ablation rates were established for both enamel and dentin, and the surfaces were assessed with optical and scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and optical profilometry. No chemical change in the composition of enamel and dentin was observed. We explored temperature variations inside the dental pulp during the laser procedure and showed the maximum increase was 5.5°C, within the acceptable limit of temperature increase during conventional dental treatments.
Competing Interests: Authors O.Z., A.H., T.H. and L.J.W. are affiliated with or employed by Dentroid (Emudent Technologies Pty Ltd). All other authors declare no competing financial interests.
(© 2022 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement.)