LASERS IN DENTISTRY: PAST AND PRESENT

KANSAL G.¹, GOYAL S.², DEEPIKA^3
1Department of Prosthodontics, Adesh College of Dental Sciences and Research, Bathinda- 151 001, Punjab, India.
²Department of Prosthodontics, Luxmibai Institute of Dental Sciences, Patiala- 147 001, Punjab, India.
³Department of Prosthodontics, Genesis College of Dental Sciences, Ferozpur- 152 002, Punjab, India.

Received : 13-11-2013     Accepted : 05-12-2013     Published : 26-12-2013
Volume : 3     Issue : 1       Pages : 30 - 33
Adv Med Informat 3.1 (2013):30-33

Lasers were introduced into the field of clinical dentistry with the hope of overcoming some of the drawbacks posed by the conventional methods of dental procedures. Since its first experiment for dental application in the 1960s, the use of laser has increased rapidly in the last couple of decades. At present, wide varieties of procedures are carried out using lasers. This article reviews literature on lasers with the aim of providing a complete understanding of the fundamentals of lasers and their applications in the various disciplines of dentistry. It will describe the fundamentals of laser science, laser tissue interaction, laser wavelengths available in dentistry, laser parameters and safety measures in brief to enable the clinician to select the best laser for a certain procedure.