Lasers in Orthodontics

Lasers have multiple applications and uses in our modern world. They are considered state-of-the-art in modern technology. The term laser originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission Radiation. Since their inception, lasers have developed to include vast applications in our lives, from laser light pointers to the medical-surgical field involving procedures like Lasix surgery. We can find lasers in common consumer devices such as DVD players, laser printers and barcode scanners so it should come as no surprise that lasers are also in use in dentistry.

Lasers have been used in the medical field for a long time. The use of lasers in Ophthalmology is most widely found with Lasix eye surgery. In dentistry, there are two types of lasers that are used: the Hard tissue laser and Soft tissue laser. One does not have to be an “Einstein” to understand and use a laser. Modern lasers operate when a material becomes “excited” due to energy being applied to the system. The active medium may consist of gas molecules in liquid ions or in a crystal or other medium. Laser energy is cohesive, focused, efficient, non-ionizing, non-damaging and of a monochromatic wavelength.