1. Exogenous mineralization of hard tissues using photo-absorptive minerals and femto-second lasers; the case of dental enamel
- Author
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A D, Anastasiou, S, Strafford, C L, Thomson, J, Gardy, T J, Edwards, M, Malinowski, S A, Hussain, N K, Metzger, A, Hassanpour, C T A, Brown, A P, Brown, M S, Duggal, and A, Jha
- Subjects
Lasers ,Animals ,Cattle ,Dental Enamel ,Magnetite Nanoparticles - Abstract
A radical new methodology for the exogenous mineralization of hard tissues is demonstrated in the context of laser-biomaterials interaction. The proposed approach is based on the use of femtosecond pulsed lasers (fs) and FeIn this work we provide a new methodology for the mineralisation of dental hard tissues using femtosecond lasers and iron doped biomaterials. In particular, we demonstrate selective laser sintering of an iron doped fluorapatite on the surface of eroded enamel under low average power and mid-IR wavelength and the formation of a new layer to substitute the removed material. The new layer is evaluated through simulated brushing trials and nano-indentation. From the results we can conclude that is more acid resistant than natural enamel while, its mechanical properties are superior to that of current restorative materials. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that someone demonstrated, laser sintering and bonding of calcium phosphate biomaterials on hard tissues. Although we here we discuss the case of dental enamel, similar approach can be adopted for other hard tissues, leading to new strategies for the fixation of bone/tooth defects.
- Published
- 2017