Light Curing in Dentistry

Abstract

The ability to light cure resins 'on demand' in the mouth has revolutionized dentistry. However, there is a widespread lack of understanding of what is required for successful light curing in the mouth. Most instructions simply tell the user to 'light cure for xx seconds' without describing any of the nuances of how to successfully light cure a resin. This article provides a brief description of light curing. At the end, some recommendations are made to help when purchasing a curing light and how to improve the use of the curing light.

Keywords: Blue light hazard; Composite resin; Curing lights; Dental curing lights; Polymerization.