[Removal of hard tooth substance with Excimer lasers]

The usefulness of an Excimer laser (wavelength 308 nm) to remove enamel and dentin was assessed by examining the necessary energy flow density, micromorphological changes, and irradiated surfaces. Our results demonstrated that it is possible to remove dentin and enamel with the Excimer laser in controlled fashion. The temperature in the pulp cavity rose as a function of the distance to the site of irradiation (corresp. to distance between temperature measuring probe and irradiated tooth surface) and the duration of exposure and amounted to 3.5 degrees C-18.3 degrees C. Differences in the micromorphology of the surface structures were observed as a function of the material (enamel or dentin) and the duration of irradiation.