please help..i dont know anything about laser

[jhj90]

hello everyone, so i found this website by researching the damaging affects

of laser on google and i thought i would get some answers by posting my

concern on this forum...

So i've been working in a dentist office for awhile and my dentist bought this

new laser treatment for teeth...Now, since i didn't know anything about laser

i didn't know you had to wear goggles or protective eye-wear. Also dentist

never gave me one to wear and he didn't wear one either so I didn't think

much and just went on...then one day i was watching tv and saw this doctor

treating the patient with laser, wearing eye-wear then i started thinking...IT

IS laser so it should NEED a protective eye-wear..then i started to worry so

the next day i went to my dentist and asked him about this whole protecting

eye thing...and he just told me we simply do not need it because the

wavelength is so short it wont get to the eyes..but i didn't believe him so i

called the company and asked and they said eye-wear should be worn to

protect the eyes....and i was like SHIT(excuse my language)...I never had

the laser beam in my eyes or anything but i scared what if any damage was

done to my eyes..so far there is on symptoms or anything like that but

still.... and i will put link to the laser that is in the office
Waterlase iPlus

help im sooo worried...thank you for reading

 

[Wolfman29]

As long as it doesn't get in your eyes, you will be quite literally, fine. However, I am worried about the dentist... reflections from your teeth could get in his eyes.

 

[jhj90]

thank you for your reply that makes me feel better but im going to still tell the dentist and if he does not get me and himself an eye wear i guess i should quit...

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

Go through the specs of the laser you're dealing with, chances are there isn't too much to worry about.

Still, goggles never hurt, and in the scheme of things they aren't expensive either...

Laser Eye Protection

 

[Deleted member 22482]

People like you are the best people in the world. And on top of that, your writing style makes me think you are a cute guy. (Not gay, but just like babiies you know)

 

[Xenophobe]

l'd just get some glasses and wear them. Your eyes , your glasses , your money . Are they going to fire you because you want to feel safe? If so I think you can find a better place to work.

 

[Ablaze]

If the laser is 20mw or less than reflections won't hurt your eyes, but neither will wearing safety glasses. If you get some sexy glasses no one will complain.

 

[Sigurthr]

It looks to be an IR pulsed laser with a 532nm green aiming laser. The aiming laser appears to be ~<5mW in the video so there is very little danger to anyone other than the dentist himself, and that's probably negligible.

The main laser appears to be an Er,Cr YSGG flash-lamp-driven pulsed Infrared laser @ 2796nm <10W output. This wavelength may be absorbed by common dental shields, but without specific absorption data I can't say for sure. One thing though... air does NOT absorb this wavelength enough to supress reflections of 10W getting back to the dentists eyes. The patient needs no glasses, but the dentist probably does. This laser should not cause retinal damage, but rather surface burns like with a CO2 laser. The whole unit funtions by superheating water inside the tissue, so this wavelength is very well absorbed by water.

That all being said... I wish my dentist had one of these!

 

[sopark4000]

I checked it out and this laser runs at 2796 nm but I had a hard time actually figuring out how many mW it is.

 

[Sigurthr]

Brochure said it tops out at 10W. Was a really buggy poorly designed brochure btw.

 

[sopark4000]

Brochure said it tops out at 10W. Was a really buggy poorly designed brochure btw.

Yea I know. The font sizes were all over the place, it looked like it was organized by someone with tourette syndrome who just got off a 3 day crack binge.

 

[Haloid95]

People like you are the best people in the world. And on top of that, your writing style makes me think you are a cute guy. (Not gay, but just like babiies you know)

I find this a tiny bit gay. :na:



OP: Dont worry the dentist wont (usually) use anything dangerous on you, you could sue them for big money if they did. Trust me they dont want that.

EDIT: oops I misunderstood the 1st post, I though you where a patient, you are saying you work there.


Like someone said before, the white teeth might reflect a little bit, but since its a low power laser it shouldn't really be dangerous. But you could wear laser glasses just in case if you want. Better safe then sorry. ( The laser glasses might scare your patient a little bit though, they might think that the laser is dangerous and not want it used on him/her).

 

[Sigurthr]

Yea I know. The font sizes were all over the place, it looked like it was organized by someone with tourette syndrome who just got off a 3 day crack binge.

VERY accurate description, haha! :crackup:

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

People like you are the best people in the world. And on top of that, your writing style makes me think you are a cute guy. (Not gay, but just like babiies you know)

Uhm... ok... :undecided:

I checked it out and this laser runs at 2796 nm but I had a hard time actually figuring out how many mW it is.

Thanks for digging through it to find out.

Brochure said it tops out at 10W. Was a really buggy poorly designed brochure btw.

That's why I didn't really look myself

Yea I know. The font sizes were all over the place, it looked like it was organized by someone with tourette syndrome who just got off a 3 day crack binge.

:crackup: VERY apt description. I was kind of out of it on meds last night, but glancing at it again... :wtf: were they thinking.

 

[Jaseth]

If the laser is 20mw or less than reflections won't hurt your eyes, but neither will wearing safety glasses. If you get some sexy glasses no one will complain.

Stop making up numbers. <20mW is not the range in which laser are considered eye safe.
Many common surfaces such as mirrors, polished metal and glossy white paint could reflect enough of 20mW to cause eye damage.

Even <5mW is only "considered safe if handled carefully, with restricted beam viewing.

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

5mW is a magic number not because it is safe to look into <5mW lasers, but that it has been found that the average person's blink reflex is enough protection to avoid damage. If you forcefully ignore that reflex, then it can still cause damage.