A Curing Light Can Make All the Difference
We’re now in between 2 favorite candy holidays here in the U.S., and sugar is never far from my thoughts. When I came across the term “candy composite,” I had to know more. Unfortunately, just like candy is not good for your patients, candy composite is not good for your practice… and your curing light could be to blame.
Candy composite, also referred to as iceberg composite, occurs when composite appears to be hard on the outside, but on the inside, it’s soft and not completely cured. It’s kind of like those strawberry hard candies with the soft, chewy inside. Candy composite leads to a poor outcome where a dentist can be drilling into a filling and, once beyond the surface, the drill slips because the filling is soft in the middle. I came across the term when reading Ultradent’s interview with renowned dental researcher Dr. Richard Price, who is widely considered the dental industry’s expert on curing lights and research surrounding dental light curing.
According to Dr. Price, dentists for years blamed candy composite on the quality of the material or on water absorption that caused the composite to break down. However, because not all dentists reported the same problem with certain composites, Dr. Price hypothesized that it had nothing to do with the material and everything to do with the quality of the curing light and technique. His studies proved that to be true.
Dr. Price urges dentists to learn how to use their new investment properly. All too often, dentists inadvertently switch from a regular power to low-power setting on a curing light, which can ruin a day’s work. It may seem silly, but it can happen when clinicians see the “on” and “off” buttons and don’t take the time to learn the various power modes. That leads to another point—make sure you’re using a high-quality curling light.
You might be thinking, “It’s just a curing light.” But Dr. Price says that at least 50% of an office’s revenue depends on the quality of the curing light used. It comes down to the sheer number of times clinicians rely on it—composite, sealants, bonding, luting agents, indirect restorations, orthodontic brackets, and more. Why neglect the quality of one of your biggest workhorses?
In his own practice, Dr. Price uses VALO corded curing light from Ultradent in his operatory. He enjoys having it anchored in his operatory so it never gets carried off or lost. Other clinicians enjoy the portability of VALO Cordless and VALO Grand. All of these models are precision milled from one solid piece of aircraft-grade aluminum, which ensures durability.
There are several unique advantages of VALO curing lights, according to Dr. Price. VALO Grand, in particular, offers a 12 mm lens, which according to the manufacturer is 50% bigger and is designed to easily cover a 10 mm molar for quick and effective curing. According to Dr. Price, there are many ‘me too’ products when it comes to curing lights, but there’s nothing else that works quite as well as VALO or has its durability.
Dr. Price’s 5 Clinical Tips
1. Wear protective eyewear and then watch closely to see what you’re doing. If you look away because you want to protect your eyes, you might shift and wind up curing other areas of the mouth, not the restoration itself. The VALO curing light facilitates this because it has a low-profile head that allows it to access posterior teeth easily while also allowing the clinician good visibility.
2. Don’t undercure to avoid shrinkage. Undercuring a restoration to avoid shrinkage is a “terrible idea,” says Dr. Price. You need to completely cure, or else the restoration won’t be as strong, and it can fracture and pick up stains. To compensate for shrinkage, dentists can build up the composite in layers or can cure incrementally. This will allow the clinician to keep an eye on shrinkage and build up the composite as needed without undercuring.
3. Use your VALO curing light on the Xtra Power setting for indirect restorations. Dr. Price finds this is most effective for curing luting agent and “punching through” ceramic.
4. Use a radiometer to benchmark the operatory’s curing light as part of your daily routine. No curing light can last forever, and you need to know when the quality of the cure is changing.
5. Routinely check the tip of your curing light for resin or debris, which can reduce the light’s output significantly.
Learn more about the VALO line of curing lights at www.ultradent.com/valostrong. Also, if you’re attending the Greater New York Dental Meeting, try them out for yourself at Ultradent’s booth #1018.