Prior to the development of the dental curing light, clinicians placing resin-based composites were limited to the use of self-curing resin materials. Introduction of curing light technology led to the development of light-activated resin materials that require no mixing and can be dispensed directly into the site.
The two most commonly used dental curing lights are the tungsten-halogen and the light-emitting diode (LED).
The tungsten-halogen is the most frequently used polymerization source in dental offices, and provides a blue light with a wavelength of approximately 400nm-500nm and an intensity of 400- 600 mW cm2. High temperatures generated by the filament necessitate the use of a ventilating fan.
LED curing lights use one or more light-emitting diodes that produce a narrow spectrum of blue light in the range of 400nm to 500nm. With much less generated heat, LEDs do not require cooling fans, enabling design of smaller, more lightweight units. Portability and convenience are further enhanced by the use of rechargeable batteries.
The high-powered LED curing light cures faster than the halogen and previous LEDs, using a single high-intensity blue LED with a larger semi-conductor crystal. An output of 1,000 mW/cm2 increases light intensity and the area of illumination, and a highly reflective, multilayer polymer mirror enables emission of this unit’s high-intensity light.
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...
Cool fact: Strauss Diamond Instruments’ new curing light—Magicure—is made of a single piece of aircraft aluminum. In other words, if you accidentally drop it, no worries; this curing light can withstand some rough handling. But you want your curing light be more than super-strong, right? No problem. Magicure offers these other features: Compact...
Congratulations to the following innovative dental manufacturers for winning the prestigious 2017 Cellerant “Best of Class” Technology Awards! And a special shout out to Orascoptic as the first company ever to take home three of the awards. The “Best of Class” recognizes innovative dental technologies, and the winning products are selected by an...
We recently asked our evaluators to select their favorite products in all kinds of categories for our “Evaluators’ Choice” issue, published in the June 2017 issue of Dental Product Shopper. One company’s products were repeatedly voted as top-notch in the industry. It shouldn’t be a surprise that 6 of Ultradent’s products were named as favorites...
Vista Dental Products introduces the VALIANT LED curing light. This cordless multispectral curing light produces a uniform beam of high-intensity light in the 395 to 500 nm wavelength range. Its capability of polymerizing nearly all light-cured dental materials makes it one of the most versatile curing lights on the market. VALIANT has 4 LEDs...
Having a powerful and easy-to-use curing light can significantly increase your efficiency. The advances in adhesion and light curing have revolutionized adhesive resin restorative dentistry, providing quick techniques for long-lasting restorations. There are several important factors any dentist should consider when shopping for a curing light....
