Abstract
In this study, the effects of the pulse number, energy intensity and irradiation distance of the laser on temperature rise were examined using the dental treatment Nd : YAG laser apparatus. The effects of air-blowing or water-spraying on temperature rise were also investigated. Furthermore, the effect of laser-welding metal to the cast crown on the temperature rise of the human dentin was studied. The increase in both the pulse number and the energy intensity of the laser allowed for an increase in the temperature of the irradiated spot. The application of water-spray cooling resulted in sufficient prevention of the temperature rise of the laser-irradiated spot during irradiation, when compared with that by air-blow cooling. When the metal was laser-welded to the cast crown that had set on the tooth, the maximum temperature rise of the human dentin was only 7℃. These results suggest that intraoral laser-welding without any damage to dental pulp is possible.
