Dental laser

Patent 5257935 Issued on November 2, 1993. Estimated Expiration Date:

November 2, 2010. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

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Inventors

Assignee

American Dental Laser, Inc.

Application

No. 343399 filed on 04/25/1989

US Classes:

433/215, METHOD OR MATERIAL FOR TESTING, TREATING, RESTORING, OR REMOVING NATURAL TEETH606/14, Placed in body606/15With optical fiber

Examiners

Primary: Swiatek, Robert P.
Assistant: Lucchesi, Nicholas D.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Gifford, Groh, Sprinkle, Patmore and Anderson

Foreign Patent References

0198959 EP 10/13/1986

International Classes

A61C 005/00
A61B 017/36

Abstract

An apparatus for removing dental enamel and dentin. This apparatus is also capable of cutting soft tissue. The apparatus includes a laser which, when activated, produces a laser pulse having a wavelength of between 1.5 and 3.5 microns, a beam diameter at the target site in the range of 10 to 5,000 microns, a pulse duration of between several picoseconds and several milliseconds, an energy level of between 0.1 millijoules and five joules per pulse, and pulse repetition rates from one pulse per second to 10,000 pulses per second. The pulse is focussed on the dental enamel or dentin thereby reaching high enough energy densities to vaporize the material. In the case of soft tissues, a special tip is used to concentrate the laser on the tissue so that cutting action can be easily executed.