Dental curing light can use ultraviolet or visible light, depending on what it is designed for. Both dentist and patient need to wear eye protection to limit damage to the retina for even the 20 seconds to a minute that the light is in use during rapid curing, and the light needs to be well maintained so that it will work properly and effectively. Curing lights provide light energy of an emission spectrum. Photo-initiators absorb this light energy and initiate chemical reactions to polymerize a composite material. This process is called photo-polymerization. It's also important to use the right curing light for the right resin product; many lights are designed to handle a range of resins safety.

The selection of a curing light that fits your style of practicing remains one of the most important equipment purchases you will make. If you have an active restorative practice, it is a dental equipment that you use virtually every time you treat a patient.

Curing lights allow us to initiate the polymerization reaction “on demand” for a vast array of materials. However, there is, perhaps, more misinformation and hype regarding this type of equipment compared to just about anything else we use on a daily basis. Most of these controversies center on how long you have to cure specific types of restorations as well as how deep you can cure specific types of materials.

Using a curing light accomplishes two things. In the first place, it makes sure that the resin cures properly and adheres evenly. When applying fillings, this is critical to keep the filling in place in the mouth. For sealants, the curing light limits the risk of cracks and other problems with the sealant. With adhesives for implants and braces, the rapid, even cure is also designed to limit problems in the future.

The dental curing light also increases patient comfort by rapidly curing resins so that the patient is not forced to sit in discomfort while the resin sets. Since the mouth usually needs to be held open wide and may be dry for the procedure, patients usually want the procedure to end as quickly as possible so that they can close their mouths and remoisturize the dried oral membranes. Using a curing light gets patients in and out of the chair quickly so that the experience of irritation and pain is limited.

With all the buzz these days over LEDs (one estimate is that 90% of all new lights being purchased in the U.S. are LEDs), the old reliable halogen curing light seems destined for the archives. It has been castigated for being heavy, still tethered to the base unit with a cord, noisy due to its fan, and possessing old technology.

On the other hand, LEDs are being touted as being on the leading edge of technology for numerous consumer and business applications. Along with nanotechnology, LEDs are blazing hot and getting hotter by the minute.