I was then determined to start an academy in India to popularize and help spread the knowledge of Lasers. Kirpa was amongst the first few to join and successfully complete the Masters.

Today, he is keeping alive my dream of spreading the light of lasers in our fraternity and the result is this simple guide to using lasers in the Dental Clinic. One can feel the sincerity with which he has compiled and brought forth this book.

I do hope that the Dentists will find this book a must for guiding them for a better treatment plan.

I wish him all the success.

From the beginning of my laser study and throughout my masters program, I felt the need for a comprehensive book covering the basic concepts of Laser-assisted Dentistry, which ranged from basics to clinical practice. After careful thought, I tried to pen down a single book with all the key topics of laser physics, different wavelengths and its clinical applications. This textbook has been prepared in a manner that is easy to understand. Numerous diagrams, charts, photographs and schematic illustrations have been included to further enhance the understanding of the subject.

I have recently launched Laser Dentistry Research and Review (www.ldrr.org) in lieu for the need for a platform for the dental fraternity to access and exchange the latest techniques and procedures in the field of laser dentistry.

This book aims to be a concise but precise guide to Laser-assisted Dentistry. Laser has made considerable forays into routine dental practice such as cavity cutting, endodontics and periodontal therapy; laser-assisted cosmetic procedures such as teeth whitening and crown lengthening, to name some of the procedures are common. This is further supported by studies that validate the use of hard tissue and soft tissue laser that enhances conventional therapy and plays a significant role in the delivery of the twenty-first century health care. The trend is growing steadily. The noninvasive nature of lasers makes it more favorable for the patient. Limited postoperative pain, faster recovery, bloodless and sutureless procedures are other advantages of using laser resulting in better patient compliance and satisfaction.

An attempt has been made to bring about a textbook that is easy to understand and comprehend. This journey has been a truly humbling experience. I fervently desire that this work will help those who wish to pursue laser dentistry, those who look forward to upgrade their current practice and for those who have just started to practice laser dentistry, as a ready-reference.

I will be glad if the dental fraternity, students and peers find it useful.

I would first like to extend my gratitude to Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd, New Delhi for giving me this opportunity. Writing this book has been one of my most cherished aspirations and it would not have been possible without their faith and encouragement.

I am most grateful to Dr KG Ghorpade, who has been my guide and the source of valuable insight on the various aspects of book writing. Writing on various topics often requires a collective effort. I appreciate the invaluable support I have received from Dr Vikram, Director, Vikram Perfect Center for Advanced, Dermatology, Cosmetic Surgery and Dentistry (Mysore); Dr Anita Nitin and Dr Anil SR of Vikram Perfect (Mysore), in the form of case studies and for sharing their exceptional work with the readers.

I would like to extend my regards to Mrs Shanta Chandrashekar for proofreading the manuscript and Mr Ravi and his team at Omega Lasertech for typing the manuscript and the tables with patience and sitting through the endless hours of corrections with me. I am grateful to Mr Babu for clerical assistance.

The textbook is incomplete without illustrations and diagrams. Web pepper has let me its expertise in this regard, my heartfelt thanks to www.webpepper.in

Dr Vinod has been indispensible with his help on reference work. Also, I would like to mention Mr B Sabrish of Studio Bangalore, Bengaluru, Karnataka for the very professional photography of the laser instruments.

I would like to sincerely thank Dr Naresh Thukral, Dr Anil C Shah, Dr Mohan Vakade, Dr Vivek Hegde and Dr Sanjay Jain of Society of Oral Laser Application (SOLA), India. They have been a source of constant inspiration and a guiding force in my journey of Laser Dentistry. I would also like to thank Dr Moritz and Dr Beer of SOLA International for introducing me to the fascinating world of Laser Dentistry.

I am extremely thankful to Mr Peter Rowland, Vice President, Biolase; Mr Aneja of Fatona; Mr Ashish Mittal, Country Manager Sirona, India. Confident Group, Marketing Partner for ARC and Syneron Laser Systems, AMD Lasers-Picasso and Deka Lasers have graciously allowed me to use the photographs of their laser equipments. I would also like to acknowledge the other laser companies whose equipment, photographs have been used for illustration purposes.

My special thanks goes to Dr Afshan Shoiab, who has assisted me on various laser dental cases that gave her the basic knowledge of lasers. This proved to be a boon as she gave constructive inputs to the content, Dr Reena Joseph who has offered valuable suggestions and contributed towards the final compilation of the manuscript and Dr Amogha Kannan, a part-time writer, who contributed with the final draft of the textbook and in compiling case photographs and illustrations.

Last but not least, I would like to convey my gratitude to all my wellwishers who have helped me in various ways make this work a realty.