Patent ID: 7172588

Claim:
A dental laser arrangement switchable between different modes of operation, comprising: a laser device operable as a laser oscillator and as a laser amplifier, the laser device including a laser resonator having a pump unit for generating a laser beam, an active modelocker, and an actuatable optic loss element operatively arranged to introduce selective losses in the resonator; and a laser beam-out-coupling unit, the laser device further including a control circuit connected to the modelocker and operative to switch between a CW-mode of operation (C) for coagulating soft tissue, in which the modelocker is switched off, and two short-pulse modes of operation (A, S) in which high frequency signals of equal frequencies, but different powers are applied by the control circuit to the modelocker so as to generate laser pulses of a pre-determined duration, a first one of the two short-pulse modes of operation (A) being provided for ablation of hard tooth tissue, while a second of the short-pulse modes of operation (S), in which the laser radiation has a lower peak power in comparison with the first short-pulse mode of operation, is provided for surface sealing of hard tooth tissue, the control circuit having an output applied to the activatable optic loss element for controlling the losses in the resonator in the short-pulse modes of operation.