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Lasers for Pain-free Dentistry
Chris writes "Australian researchers say that frequency-doubling a femtosecond laser is the way to pain-free dentistry. Using two different Ti:sapphire sources it was found that the 400 nm second harmonic gave the best results. Lasers have long been touted as pain-free replacements for the dreaded dentist's drill. However, the hardness of dental tissue has demanded high-energy pulses for drilling. Previous attempts have resulted in unacceptably slow removal of tooth enamel, and have also damaged teeth. These previous efforts caused shock waves, vibrations and also heated up the tooth's softer tissue, causing significant pain to the patient. Because femtosecond pulses are so short, heat conduction effects are virtually eliminated."
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
Dentist: What?
Patient: I 'ed, doo oo ekek e to tahk!
Dentist: I can't understand you.
Patient: Tak jis kra ow o ny nouh.
Dentist: Oh, okay (removes stuff from patient's mouth.)
Patient: I said, how do you expect me to talk with this crap in my mouth?
Dentist: I don't, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die!
The good and new comes from no quarter where it is looked for, and is always something different from what is expected.
I second the opinion of the fellow who posted a similar response below. I'd hate to be the guy they strap on the chair when they wheel in a volkswagen-sized prototype with steam pulsing out of vents, crazy piston-like thingamajigs, and electrical doohickeys shooting arcs. "We don't know if this will hurt, so let us know." *cue Ghostbusters backpack startup sound*
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
Honest politicians and the paperless office.
Ahh - My eye!
The doctor said I'm not supposed to get Slashdot in it!
Perhaps you forgot, but when you got numbed up, do you remember the huge fucking needle the dentist stuck in your mouth? And he said "Little pinch" and it felt like somebody stabbed you with a dagger in the cheek?
Lasers == no more big fucking needles
sounds like an improvement to me
Great, now I'll have a frickin' laser beam attached to my head...
I mean come on... lasers? I don't like this new wonderous technology from nowhere. Next thing you know we're all confined to our houses and martial law rules and a bunch of fucking lizards is taping earths water.
I for one will not stand for it, Im going to research red anti-lizard powder.
...if you can make a Tesla coil out of an old TV, can you make a few slight modifications to a CD-ROM to make a dentist's (finger quotes) laser...?
Come to think of it, Doctor Evil does look slightly like my dentist. Time to run, methinks.
Like car accidents, most hardware problems are due to driver error.
Mike.
Mmmm......sacrelicious.
Until you accidentally move your head to the left during the process.
The Brits, on the other hand, have gone for a no-hole approach...
Sorry, but taking dental advice from the Brits is like taking security advice from Microsoft.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
Remove this drill from my presence! All I ask for is a frick'n "Laser."
The cure for cancer is coming: Reovirus
Wow. First laser eye surgery, and now laser teeth surgery.
I'll bet we all get spam in a few days telling us to INCREASE YOUR PENIS SIZE USING LASERS!
LEIA: No! My bicuspid is fine. It has no cavities. You can't possibly...
DR. TARKIN: You would prefer another target? Some plaque perhaps? Then name the tooth!
Dr. Tarkin waves menacingly toward Leia.
DR. TARKIN: I grow tired of asking this. So it'll be the last time. Where is the cavity?
LEIA: (softly) Left back molar.
Leia lowers her head.
LEIA: It's on my left back molar.
DR. TARKIN: There. You see Darth Dentist, she can be reasonable. Continue with the operation. You may fire when ready.
LEIA: What?
DR. TARKIN: You're far too trusting. Your back molar is too remote to make an effective demonstration. But don't worry. We will deal with your cavity soon enough.