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Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser ablation of dental enamel, dentine, and cementum

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Abstract

This paper reports an investigation into the characteristics of femtosecond laser (800-nm central wavelength) in the ablation of human dental enamel, dentine, and cementum at various laser fluences from 0.2 to 3.68 J/cm2 with single and multiple pulses. The femtosecond laser interaction with cementum is reported for the first time. Ablation thresholds were determined to be 0.58, 0.44, and 0.51 J/cm2 for enamel, dentine, and cementum, respectively. Under the average laser fluences of 1.13 to 3.68 J/cm2, clean ablated surfaces without debris and microcracks were obtained. Laser fluence was found to influence the ablated diameter and depth, whereas under a certain fluence, pulse number only affects the depth, without affecting the diameter. The ablation mechanism is found to be based on multi-photon absorption, not previously known for femtosecond laser ablation of dental materials. The low thermal loads of 0.708, 1.44, and 0.404 J/cm3 required for ablating enamel, dentine, and cementum, determined for the first time, are beneficial for minimizing the heat-affected zones and micro-damage. The Raman spectroscopic analysis of phosphate shows that the chemical components of the tooth remain intact before and after the fs-laser ablation. It also shows that different dental tissues respond differently to the laser irradiation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laser Processing Research Centre, School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Manchester, Sackville Street, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK

    Lingfei Ji, Lin Li, Jiao Jiao & David Whitehead

  2. Institute of Laser Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100022, People’s Republic of China

    Lingfei Ji

  3. School of Dentistry, University of Manchester, Higher Cambridge Street, Manchester, M15 6FH, UK

    Hugh Devlin

  4. Corrosion and Protection Centre, School of Materials, University of Manchester, The Mill, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK

    Zhu Liu

Authors
  1. Lingfei Ji
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  2. Lin Li
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  3. Hugh Devlin
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  4. Zhu Liu
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  5. Jiao Jiao
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  6. David Whitehead
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Correspondence to Lin Li.

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Ji, L., Li, L., Devlin, H. et al. Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser ablation of dental enamel, dentine, and cementum. Lasers Med Sci 27, 197–204 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-011-0932-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-011-0932-z

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