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Advances in Curing Light Technology Over the Years
We have seen tremendous strides made in curing lights over the last 2 decades. Intensity has increased and power needs have decreased. Today’s lights can cure an increment in 5 seconds and are cordless, going days without needing a charge.
ALEKSANDRA GIGOWSKA / STOCK.ADOBE.COM
Curing lights have come a long way, much like the different materials used with them in restorative dentistry.
Some six decades ago, the first light curing resin composites were developed, which brought about the need for the earliest curing lights, reported to have come about in the 1970s.
Over the years the devices have changed dramatically, in size, shape, power, sources and more. Like computers, early products were much bigger and slower than today’s sleek, fast units.
Here we take a quick look at the early curing light technologies and changes that have come along the way. Today’s pen-style, lightweight devices look and perform much better than those 1970s models that used ultraviolet light to cure resin composites.
