Lased Enamel: Ultrastructural Observations of Pulsed Carbon Dioxide Laser Effects

¹ School of Dentistry, University of California at Los Angeles, The Center for the Health Sciences, Los Angeles, California 90024, USA and Institute for Physical Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, West Germany

Scanning electron microscopic observations of the pulsed carbon dioxide laser effect on human enamel support microradiographic findings and indicate that this laser is significantly more efficient than the ruby laser within the limits of this investigation. Surface changes which were suggestive of fusion occurred between energy densities of 13 to 50 joules per square centimeter.