Laser dentistry is a relatively new form of dental care. Laser Dentistry uses lasers to perform surgery, prepare cavities, and harden dental resins. This use of lasers has allowed dentists to perform tasks with less pain and with improved results. There are many different types of lasers used in the dentistry field. Theses lasers included the argon laser, the diode laser, the neodymium: yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser, the holmium: yttrium aluminum garnet (Ho:YAG) laser, the erbium: yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:YAG) laser, and the carbon dioxide (CO2) laser. Each laser has different properties, such as wavelength, that allow the laser energy to be absorbed by different compounds. A laser that is well absorbed by water would be used on blanched tissue, and a laser that is well absorbed by skin pigments would be used on skin or gums.
             The argon laser is most commonly used on skin tissue because it well absorbed by melanin and hemoglobin. The argon laser operates at two wavelengths of 488nm and 514nm. The 488nm wavelength is used to catalyze dental resin polymerization. This use of the argon laser allows for faster curing of dental resins, and causes the dental resin to have a strong bond to the tooth. The argon laser is also used for laser teeth whitening. One of the downsides of using the argon laser is that the laser requires a large amount of energy to create lasing, and to cool the laser cavity.
             The diode laser is a useful tool because it allows for a smaller more reliable unit. The diode laser operates at wavelengths of 820nm and 830nm. These wavelengths are absorbed by pigmented tissue. This laser is used on gums and other skin tissue for some types of dental surgery. The diode laser is a very useful laser in dentistry because of its compact size.
             The Nd:YAG laser is the most commonly used laser in dentistry. The Nd:YAG laser operates at a wavelength of 1064nm. This wavelength is absorbed by both pigmented tissue an...