LJUBLJANA, Slovenia: Fotona, developer and manufacturer of state-of-the-art laser systems for medical applications, has announced that TouchWhite is now a patented Fotona laser tooth bleaching procedure.

According to Fotona, this new tooth whitening method has been discussed at numerous international meetings and written about in dental journals, such as the International Journal of Laser Dentistry (Vol. 3, Issue 2/2011) and the Journal of the Laser and Heath Academy (Vol. 2011, No. 1). “Because TouchWhite is extremely gentle, safe, fast and effective, more and more dentists are choosing to whiten teeth using this new treatment method,” the company stated.

TouchWhite utilises the Er:YAG laser to activate the bleaching gel on the tooth’s surface using Fotona’s VLP pulse mode. The benefits of using the Er:YAG wavelength’s high absorption in water means that, unlike with Nd:YAG or diode lasers, any bleaching gel colour can be used because bleaching gels primarily consist of water.

With TouchWhite, patient safety and comfort are not a concern, according to Fotona. Unlike other wavelengths, the Er:YAG heats only the water in the gel and, at sub-ablative power settings, does not penetrate through the gel. Consequently, procedures are gentler because laser light does not heat the hard dental tissue or pulp, and faster because the bleaching effect is amplified by applying laser light to the gel. Treatment time is reduced five- to tenfold.

Specially designed TouchWhite handpieces are now available from Fotona.