The effects of varying the energy density of a high-intensity erbium, chromium: yttrium-scandium-gallium-garnet (Er,Cr:YSGG) laser on the mineral and organic components of bone tissue were evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Bone samples obtained from the tibias of rabbits were irradiated with five energy densities (3, 6, 8, 12, and 15 J/cm(2)), and the effects on the carbonate to phosphate ratio and in the organic components were compared with those of nonirradiated samples. The increased temperature during the laser irradiation was also measured using infrared thermography to relate the observed spectral changes to the laser thermal effects. The analyses of the infrared spectra suggests that the irradiation with Er,Cr:YSGG promoted changes in bone tissue in both the mineral and organic components that depend on the laser energy density, pointing to the importance of using the proper energy density in clinical procedures.