Interaction of Carbon Dioxide Laser Radiation with Enamel and Dentin

Extracted human teeth were exposed to continuous CO 2 laser radiation at 10.6μ. Ground sections showed disrupted enamel rods and incineration of odontoblastic processes in dentin. Microradiographs of enamel confirmed the changes observed, which were probably due to high temperature elevation at the site of interaction together with heat flow from this region.