Are light and radiation from L.E.D.s ever what laser beams’ light and radiation are?
I had the impression that Light Emitting Diode beams are not the same as Laser beams.
At
Example quotes from one item:
“Laser whitening or ” POWER WHITENING ” is the latest method developed to whiten your teeth. … the white laser light shone on your teeth will activate the chemical … You can use it as often or as little as you like. … This is the safe simple LED light added to whitening gel.”
I have bought 2 tooth whitening light packages via ebay which I’m unsure about. One states that the light given off is just L.E.D. light. The other is a blue light emitter which looks like L.E.D. lights though it’s stated the light is laser.
Whether or not L.E.D. light whitens teeth, I don’t think these are laser lights. Why would dentists charge £250 for 1 1/2 hours laser whitening? (Ebay sold kits are often less than £10.)
Can L.E.D. light ever be Laser?
I thought L.E.D.s have a specific way of producing light. Is this true? If an L.E.D. were adapted to be a Laser light, as Garret J suggests, would this not mean that the unique L.E.D. light production would be something else (other than the L.E.D. way of producing light)?
Get Your Risk-FREE Trial Here!
June 6th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Sure, they can, sometimes. (Sorry, that’s not the easy answer.) It’s possible to configure an LED so that it emits laser light, but it’s equally possible to configure it so that it emits garden-variety light like a light bulb.
Consider what laser light really means: It has to be coherent, (all the waves in phase,) collimated, (all the light going in the same direction, EXACTLY the same direction,) and concentrated, (a very very small point.) LED lasers are used CD and DVD players, as well as the laser pointers people torment their cats with.
On the other hand, most of the LED lights you see are NOT lasers, they’re just used as small (very energy efficient,) light bulbs. I’m looking at a clock on my desk right now that uses about 30 of them. Even when used as bulbs, LEDs actually emit most of their light upwards out of the bulb, but that in itself does not make them a laser.
As for the products you purchased, I seriously doubt any of them actually use lasers. A laser would generate a light spot much too small to whiten your teeth – you’d end up with certain areas of your teeth overexposed, (and possible ETCHED as a result,) while others would not get whitened at all. It’s easy to make grandiose claims on eBay, and terms like “LED” and “laser” are great at impressing the yokels. What you’ve probably got are Ultraviolet LEDs that catalyze whatever bleach they put on your teeth, to speed the whitening process.
June 6th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
LED light can never be Laser. Laser light is coherent light, while LED light is incoherent light.
In acupuncture they make a clear distinction of the function of it. See the link below.
June 8th, 2009 at 8:26 am
They are different forms of radiation of light.
June 11th, 2009 at 1:51 am
It can be safely said the light bulb over your head doesn’t give off any heat.