Dental curing light is used to rapidly cure resins in a safe and effective way. Resins have become an integral part of dental health as they are used as restorative materials, adhesives, as well as sealants for various dental procedures. The curing light is produced by a curing lamp and which produces visible or ultraviolet light depending on the intended use. There are various types of resins that are used for dental work; for this reason, different types of lamps are used depending on the type of resin to be cured.
The most important component of the dental
curing lamp is the light source and which can either be a halogen lamp or a light emitter diode commonly referred to as LED. The light source should be capable of precisely targeting light to the desired location thus increasing the efficiency of the curing light. The effects of the dental curing light as well as the use of other compression techniques helps in boosting the adhering properties of the dental resins, and which makes the resin filling long-lasting. Halogen lamps were commonly used for dental curing purposes in the past but over the years advances in technology have popularized the use of the LED, plasma and UV light lamps.
Several types of available curing lamps have different light intensities and light sources and the main determinant of the type of curing lamp to choose is the type of dental resin being used for the intended curing application. It is worth noting that the halogen, LED, plasma-arc and laser technology curing units have energy levels ranging from 300 to 1,000 microwatts per square centimeter. Further, there are many factors which affect the polymerization of the dental resin by the
Dental curing light and these include filler type, the effectiveness of light transmission, thickness and shade of the restorative material, exposure time, light intensity, and the distance of the light source from the restorative material.
When using dental curing light it is important to take the right precautions to minimize the chances of causing harm to the patient as well as to the dentist and one of the most important precautions concerns wearing eye protection to limit possible damage to the retina even for the short time that the light will be on. It is also important to ensure that the light is well maintained thus ensuring that it will always work properly and effectively. A curing lamp, apart from being used in dental healthcare, can also be used in industry or laboratories after being modified for special applications.
