Laser Ablation of the Dental Cement by Plasmonic Nanoparticles

Indianapolis, IN

Self-Adhesive Resin cements are used in dentistry as a bonding agent for all indirect restorations. One difficulty with such cements is the removal of the cement without damaging the dentin, enamel, or restoration medium. To solve this problem nanoparticles can be utilized to ablate the surrounding medium, in this case, a cement. Short and ultrashort pulses are utilized to heat up nanoparticles to high temperatures. The refractive index data was measured for the cement to determine which wavelengths allow for deep light penetration. Mechanical tests were conducted to determine the change in elasticity in the material to see if there is any impact. Simulations in the medium have been conducted and show that the nanoparticles will heat up the surface around them greatly allowing for the cement to detach from bonded surfaces.