Raman Noodles

I was just at the dentist this morning for my six-month cleaning, and while I confess I have never had the pleasure of experiencing a drill, this seems like a cool idea, although my initial thought upon reading the headline was that the laser would do the "drilling." Not so:

Tooth Lasers Could Make Drilling a Thing of the Past

UK researchers have developed a technology that spots tooth decay before it begins using a technology based on Raman spectroscopy—a method that is currently used to identify chemicals. A new study has determined that harmful bacteria can be detected by analyzing how light is scattered when a laser is fired at the tooth.

"No, Mr. Bond, I want to you rinse!"