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The word laser is an acronym that stands for Light Amplification by Stimulation Emission of Radiation – or laser. Thus, a laser is an instrument that produces and directs into a beam a special form of light.
Electromagnetic radiation is a form of energy that includes radiowaves, microwaves, the visible light spectrum that we can see, the ultraviolet radiation (UV-A and UV-B) from the sun’s rays, and x-rays. Laser energy is derived from the visible and infrared spectrum of light. The laser beam consists of a very specific wavelength of light. Some lasers produce a beam of light that can be seen – such as green, red or yellow – whereas other lasers produce invisible light that cannot be seen (in the infrared spectrum).
All lasers operate in a similar basic manner. Power (electricity) is used to excite electrons contained in a substance in the laser box. This substance may be a crystal (ruby or alexandrite lasers), dye (pulsed dye lasers), or a gas (CO2 lasers). When electrons are excited, they quickly return to a resting or lower energy state, releasing photons of light in the process. These photons of light interact with additional excited electrons, thus creating more identical photons of light. The process continues to produce a beam of light of the same wavelength that is then released from the box. This beam becomes the laser beam and is directed to a handpiece either by use of mirrors, lenses, or optical fibers.
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