Preventive Dental Laser Fluence Control Without Tissue Ablation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current dental treatments lack effective methods to prevent dental caries and erosion using lasers, due to issues with laser size, therapeutic range, treatment speed, and visibility of treated areas, despite scientific research demonstrating the efficacy of laser treatments.
Innovation Solution
A dental laser system and method that selects appropriate laser parameters, including wavelength, pulse duration, and beam width, to achieve a therapeutic fluence range that inhibits caries formation and erosion, while using a beam guidance system for even treatment and active cooling to enhance treatment speed, and employing stains to differentiate treated areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If laser parameters are increased to improve treatment speed, then productivity increases, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to exceeding therapeutic fluence range
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts laser parameters including wavelength, pulse duration, and beam width based on real-time feedback to maintain fluence within the therapeutic range while optimizing treatment speed. The controller continuously monitors and modifies parameters to prevent exceeding upper thresholds that would cause surface modification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes multiple laser parameters simultaneously (wavelength, pulse duration, beam width) to achieve the therapeutic fluence range. By adjusting these parameters in combination, the system can increase treatment speed while maintaining precision, as each parameter change compensates for the others to keep fluence controlled.
2Reliability
If laser power is increased to enhance treatment efficacy, then acid dissolution resistance improves, but object-generated harmful factors worsen due to surface modification
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different fluence levels to different locations on the dental hard tissue surface. The fluence is maintained above the lower threshold to achieve acid dissolution resistance while staying below the upper threshold to avoid surface modification. This local quality control ensures therapeutic effect without harmful side effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller uses feedback mechanisms to monitor laser fluence in real-time and adjust parameters accordingly. This feedback loop prevents the fluence from exceeding the upper threshold that would cause surface modification, while ensuring it remains above the lower threshold needed for therapeutic effect.
3Area of stationary object
If treatment area coverage is expanded to improve comprehensiveness, then manufacturing precision deteriorates due to difficulty in achieving even treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The treatment area is divided into multiple smaller regions that are treated systematically. The beam guidance system directs the laser to different locations in a controlled sequence, ensuring each area receives appropriate fluence. This segmentation approach maintains treatment uniformity while expanding overall coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a beam guidance system to add spatial dimensionality to the treatment process, allowing the laser to move across the treatment area in a controlled manner. This enables comprehensive coverage while maintaining even treatment through systematic scanning patterns and precise positioning.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively increases acid dissolution resistance and carbonate removal, allowing for efficient and visible treatment of dental hard tissues, addressing the limitations of existing methods by achieving therapeutic fluence ranges and ensuring comprehensive treatment within a typical dental visit.
Implementation Method 1
a first laser pulse is directed to an initial location within a treatment region of the dental hard tissue, such that a surface temperature of the initial location is raised from an initial surface temperature to a raised surface temperature during the first laser pulse
Implementation Method 2
the raised temperature being below an upper temperature threshold defined as a minimum temperature that causes a surface modification of the dental hard tissue
Implementation Method 3
after a cooling-off period during which cooling of the initial location causes a difference between the surface temperature and the initial surface temperature to be less than or equal to 50% of the raised temperature
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure relates to various systems and methods related to preventative laser-based treatment of a dental tissue; for example, to prevent a patient from forming cavities. In some instances, a laser-based treatment system can generate a laser beam pulse with a fluence profile at a treatment site that results in either an increase in acid resistance of the tissue or removal of carbonate from the tissue, without melting or ablating the tissue. In some instances, the laser-based treatment system can direct the laser beam to various locations within a treatment site according to a temporal and/or spatial pattern, that results in either an increase in acid resistance of the tissue or removal of carbonate from the tissue, without melting or ablating the tissue. Many other systems and techniques for preventative and other laser-based treatment are also described.