[Ablative effect of an Er:YAG laser on enamel and dentin].

The effectiveness of a pulsed infrared Er:YAG laser beam at a wavelength of 2.94 micron in removing hard tooth structure was studied. The defects produced by the laser beam were evaluated quantitatively and morphologically as a function of energy and pulse frequency. The use of this instrument allows the efficient removal of enamel and dentin while sparing the surrounding tissues.