Carlo Fornaini: Use of Er:YAG and Nd:YAG Lasers During Orthodontic Treatment
In recent years laser technology has played an increasingly important role in modern dentistry, and, recently, the utilization of laser devices has also been proposed in orthodontics. The aim of this work is to describe the utilization of 1064 nm and 2940 nm lasers in soft and hard oral tissues to improve orthodontic treatment.
Several cases treated by Er:YAG and Nd:YAG in different stages of the treatment (before, during and after) are presented. All the cases reported showed, according to the literature, that the use of lasers with orthodontic treatment offers several advantages when compared to conventional methods. In soft-tissue surgery, it allows to reduce or eliminate the use of anesthetic injection, to avoid the use of sutures and to bond brackets in dry enamel; combined with orthophosphoric acid, it provides a stronger adhesion of the brackets to the enamel and helps to prevent carious lesions around the brackets; it may also repair broken appliances by welding them intraorally; at low power (LLLT) it helps to control pain in the first period after bonding and, by increasing the speed of teeth movement in the bone, reduces the time of the treatment.