Thermal effects of lasers on dental tissues.

The thermal effects of Nd:YAG, argon, and CO2 laser beams are observed on enamel, dentin, and dental pulp by means of computerized infrared thermography and thermocouple. This study shows that the Nd:YAG laser beam deeply diffuses through the enamel and dentin to the pulp. The argon laser effects are inconsistent depending on whether the enamel surface is cleaned, but after cleaning, the superficial and deep temperatures are low. With the CO2 laser, the enamel and dentin surfaces reach very high temperatures, but only low temperatures are measured in the pulp chamber.