Researchers in Orthodontics and Paediatric Dentistry

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Browsing by Author "Melman, Geoffrey"

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    Application of lasers in orthodontics
    (South African Dental Association, 2017) Mulder, Riaan; Melman, Geoffrey; Karic, Vesna
    Laser is the acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, a usage that dates back to approximately 50 years ago. In 1960, the first functioning laser was built by the American physicist Maiman at the Hughes Research Laboratories by using a synthetic ruby crystal made of aluminum oxide and chromium oxide. In general, lasers are composed of the three principal parts: an energy source, an active medium and a set of two or more mirrors that form a resonator. Properties such as wavelength are determined primarily by the active medium, which can be a gas, crystal or a solid-state conductor.
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    Cavity preparation using hard tissue lasers in operative dentistry
    (South African Dental Association, 2017) Karic, Vesna; Mulder, Riaan; Melman, Geoffrey
    A laser is a device that delivers coherent, monochromatic and collimated light as a form of energy. Most dental laser devices emit invisible light in the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. On May 7, 1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared for marketing in the United States the first erbium: yttrium - aluminum -garnet, or Er: YAG, laser for use in preparing cavities in the teeth of living human subjects.
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    Introduction to dental lasers
    (South African Dental Association, 2016) Mulder, Riaan; Karic, Vesna; Melman, Geoffrey
    It was Albert Einstein who in 1917 defined the theory of the Stimulated Emission of Radiation, developing and expanding on the work of Niels Bohr, who in 1913 had formulated the Spontaneous Emission theory. Einstein described the electrons of molecules being excited by a source of energy, usually heat, and directed in a specific way. The excited electron releases a spontaneously emitted photon which interacts with a molecule of the active medium, causing those electrons to move to a less stable, higher energy state and producing further photons. This process exponentially increases the number of identical photons which are focused by mirrors at either end of the laser tube and emitted into the delivery system. The acronym “LASER” represents “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation”.
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    Lasers in paediatric dentistry
    (South African Dental Association, 2016) Mulder, Riaan; Karic, Vesna; Melman, Geoffrey
    Many clinicians will be faced with the un-cooperative paediatric patient presenting at their practices with a “fear of the unknown”. Establishing trust with these patients is essential in order to achieve a productive interaction with the child. The hard tissue lasers (Er:YAG and Er,Cr:YSGG) have the advantage of not producing the high pitched sound and vibrations associated with turbines. The ‘tellshow- do” method can be used to illustrate the water spray with the lowest possible energy setting of the laser in the paediatric patient’s mouth, which may assist in alleviating fear associated with the restorative procedures.
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    Lasers in periodontics
    (Electronic Doctor (E-Doc) Publishers & SADA, 2017) Melman, Geoffrey; Karic, Vesna; Mulder, Riaan
    Ablation has been described as the expansive vaporisation of tissue. In periodontal procedures the ablation capacity of the laser can be used for excision and incision of pathology. The Erbium doped lasers can be used effectively for soft tissue procedures with or without water. It is essential that the air supply is turned off when soft tissue procedures or any procedure with a flap is performed, to prevent subcutaneous emphysema. Hard tissue lasers are effective in bone ablation provided that the water is present preventing collagen denaturation and necrosis of the targeted tissue.