Patent ID: 6584341
Filing Date: 2003-06-24
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A photothermal radiometric and luminescence method for inspection of teeth, comprising the steps of:irradiating a portion of a surface of a tooth with a light source emitting at an effective wavelength wherein photothermal radiometric signals and luminescence signals are responsively emitted from said portion of the tooth; detecting said emitted photothermal signals and said luminescence signals; demodulating said emitted photothermal signals into photothermal phase and amplitude components and said luminescence signals into luminescence phase and amplitude signals; and comparing said photothermal phase and amplitude signals to photothermal phase and amplitude signals of a reference sample and comparing said luminescence phase and amplitude signals to luminescence phase and amplitude signals of a reference sample to determine differences between said portion of said tooth and said reference sample and correlating said differences with defects in said tooth.