Laser physics and tissue interaction
Laser Dentistry Basics · Dental (BDS)
Study notes
Why does an Er:YAG cut tooth but a diode doesn't? Wavelength-chromophore matching - Er:YAG is absorbed by water (abundant in tooth), diode by pigment/hemoglobin (soft tissue); the wrong wavelength passes through or scatters. Students learn the absorption rule: lasers affect what absorbs them - choose the wavelength the target tissue drinks, because the laser that doesn't get absorbed doesn't work, it just heats surroundings.