VALO X

From the original VALO Corded curing light— released nearly 15 years ago—to VALO Cordless and VALO Grand, it’s hard to imagine that Ultradent’s curing light game could get any stronger. Enter VALO X.

“I was lucky enough to get my hands on a VALO X the day it was released,” said Dr. Shea Bess, who practices at Autumn Ridge Dental in South Jordan, UT. “I liked it so much that, two weeks later, I bought one for every operatory in my practice. It has cut my curing time in half.”

The Right Pulse

When choosing an LED curing light, there are several factors to consider—among them energy output and beam collimation. “Curing lights on the market today range in energy produced more widely than ever before,” noted Dr. Bess. “Overheating hard and soft tissues can lead to disastrous clinical outcomes. On the flip side, if the curing light emits lower energy, then the amount of time practitioners spend curing increases. VALO X brings pulsating light energy to the table—an exciting advancement that bridges the gap between these 2 dilemmas.”

Borrowing from technological concepts used in lasers, the VALO X’s Xtra Power mode emits 2,200 mW/cm2 of light, and with one press of a button, the light pulses 3 times in 5 seconds. This not only prevents tissues from overheating, said Dr. Bess, but it gives dentists 10 seconds worth of curing capability in 5 seconds. “This is an absolute game changer in my office, and I expect it to become the ‘new normal’ in curing light technology.”

Beam Size Matters

To understand the importance of beam collimation, Dr. Bess urges dentists to imagine a floodlight and a laser pointer. If both were pointed at a device used to read energy, they could emit the same amount of energy, even though the surface area covered by the floodlight is much larger than a laser pointer.

“This concept often gets overlooked,” he said, advising that even if the lens of the curing light is large, the actual size and shape of the beam of light should be evaluated closely prior to choosing a curing light. “While VALO X has an impressive 12.5-mm lens size, it’s not the size that matters—it’s impressive because of the size of the beam of light. Any manufacturer can simply make the lens bigger, but making the 3D beam of light equal to the size of the lens is where the rubber meets the road.”

The Icing on the Cake

Featuring easy 1-button activation, VALO X can be used corded or cordless, a feature that Dr. Bess appreciates, along with the fact that VALO X batteries are reasonably priced. The curing light also is equipped with 2 diagnostic aid modes—Black Light and White Light—that users can cycle through by waving the curing light.

“I use the white light for getting ambient light correct during shade taking, and it recently helped me communicate with my lab on a difficult anterior shade-matching case,” said Dr. Bess. “Once again, Ultradent blazes the curing light trail with VALO X. I am confident other manufacturers have taken note and will be developing pulsating curing lights very soon,” he concluded.