Frequently Asked Questions

How will you compare FUSION to VALO Cordless?

    FUSION and VALO are two of the best brand name curing lights on the market in terms of performance and durability.
    Both lights are made of aircraft aluminum with superior construction for ease of access and drop proof reliability.
    At the curing light tip, VALO has lower power than FUSION. At 8 millimeters distance from the light tip, Valo is about 50% less power than FUSION 5.
    FUSION 5, FUSION Plus and FUSION Grand use the same main control and battery assembly with two different light heads with the first type being FUSION 5 and the second type being FUSION Plus/Grand. FUSION Plus and Grand match or exceed the performance of Valo and Valo Grand with modular design for better ease of use and worry free operation. FUSION's unique metal keypad and digital LCD modern design drastically contrast with the rubber button and LED indicator low level design of Valo.
    VALO is designed on a uni-body aluminum to achieve the reliability and high power. It uses standard CRA123 rechargeable batteries with exposed counter stand open cradle battery charger. FUSION is designed with a modular aluminum body and shock-absorbing high quality components inside to achieve the reliability, flexibility, ease of use and high optical performance.
    Recurring costs for battery are about the same for FUSION and VALO Cordless:  FUSION's smart battery typically lasts more than 2 years and costs ~ $120 to replace it. VALO's battery warranty is 3 months which extrapolates to replacement cost for 2-years of about $128 (=$16x2x4).
    The difference is FUSION's smart battery is self-contained without your worry to stock and charge battery manually.
    From an ease of use standpoint, VALO is:
    1. not as easy to access both upper and lower with its fixed body/head.
    2. confusing to determine the power level and time to work with given there are three power levels and 9 timer settings indicated with five LED indicators. It also has a built-in 2 seconds delay in the Xtra Power mode between cures that will slow your speed down 40% demotivating you in using the high power capability.
    3. cumbersome to recharge the battery like a consumer-grade flash light that requires you to unscrew a cap and take out the battery to a charge in a cradle.
    4. worrisome to disinfect and clean exposed charge cradle in a clinical environment.

FUSION is:

    1. easy to access both the lower and upper with its 360 degree swivel light head.
    2. easy to use with its lighter and balanced weight. Its advanced LCD and metal keypad intuitively display the power/timer setting and color code its large activation button. Its high power is always available to the user for maximum efficiency.
    3. easy to charge the smart battery with self-contained metal charging stand with back direct plug capability for extended operation. The smart battery is invisible to the user for multiple years.
    4. easy to disinfect and clean the light with everything self-contained without exposed components.

From ROI standpoint, FUSION significantly exceeds that of VALO Cordless. The FUSION kit costs ~30-50% less than VALO Cordless with more offered: three extra tips (tacking, 9 and 13mm), 50 extra barrier sleeves and 9 more months warranty on battery.  More importantly, FUSION offers the upgradability that no other curing lights do including oral cancer screening, caries/canal detection, chair-side bleaching and more for added profit streams.

Are all curing lights the same?

All lights are not created equal. This is explained in detail in "Light Curing Guidelines for Practitioners" from a group of experts in the field of dental restorations. Lights are different not only from their performances but also their constructions and service supports. The major performance parameters are light intensity, tip size, beam uniformity (homogeneity), wavelengths and beam dispersion. The results can be very different not only short term from sensitivity and bonding failures but also longer term.

Clinicians Report has performed many independent studies on varies curing lights. In particular, it demonstrated online budget curing lights have not only small light tip, but also very inconsistent and unstable light output. The study suggests that these low-cost curing lights lack the desired consistent and depth of cure.

FUSION curing lights have been consistently rated as one of the best curing lights on the market through the past 11 years through 5 generations.

How can I measure the power of curing light?

Traditionally, curing lights are measured with "calibrated" radiometers on the light intensity or power irradicance in mW/cm2 (milliwatt per square centimeter), meaning the power in mW divided by the area of the light exposure in cm2.

The radiometer, however, as "calibrated" as the manufacturers claimed, is not an accurate but a relative measurement instrument. The powers measured from radiometers are the irradiance level at the tip of a curing light, which does not indicate the power level received by composite inside a cavity.  Additionally, readings from radiometers vary significantly from their actual values. For example, a light measured on Kerr LED radiometer for 800 mW/cm2 displays 1066 mW/cm2 on Cure Rite, and 1280 mW/cm2 on Radii Radiometer as demonstrated by BlueLight Analytics, who has developed a highly accurate system called MARC that measures light intensity at all distances based on NIST calibrated spectrometer.

FUSION Curing Lights are measured using both common radiometer and a precision NIST calibrated spectrometer system to ensure each production unit meets the criteria in our specifications. Because of the low dispersion from the patented FUSION lens system, you can be assured that FUSION delivers similar energy for both anterior and posterior standard restorations and more energy to bonding brackets than other LED lights on the market.

How much time does it take to cure with FUSION?

Typical curing time is 3 seconds for A3 or lighter shade with 2 mm thickness composite and 2 seconds for metal bracket/3 seconds for ceramic bracket bonding. The table below lists typical curing times for some common composite:

Manufacturer 3M Ivoclar Dentsply Kerr
Resin Brand Filtek Supreme Plus Heliomolar Tetric EvoCeram TPH3 XRV Herculite
Color/Shade A3E C6D A3 A2 A3 DY A3 YB
Cure Times (FUSION5, Plus or Grand) 3 9 3 3 3 3 3 3
Cure Times (FUSION S7) 10 30 10 10 10 10 10 10

Please use the CURE TIMES instruction from your Users Manual for further details.

What are the recommended cleaning procedures?

    a)       FUSION parts are recommended to be cleaned and disinfected with a cleaning solution including Cavicide, Lysol, Isopropyl or Ethyl alcohol. Do not autoclave or ultrasonic.
    b)       Thoroughly wipe clean handpiece, Charging Base and Eyeshield with a soft cloth or tissue damped with the cleaning solution. Do not spray or soak. Disinfecting agents and liquid must not enter any openings on unit in particular Metal keypad.
    c)       Clean curing lens and electrical metal contacts using Q-tips slightly damped (do not soak) with the cleaning solution.
    Safeguard handpiece opening area, metal keypad, charging plug, and lens against liquid and sharp objects as this may cause electrical short-circuit, permanent optical damage or malfunction

I have a FUSION, can I convert to DOE for oral cancer screening?

Yes. With FUSION, you have the options of upgrading to DOE  to perform soft tissue oral exam and oral cancer screening. Simply purchase the FUSION-DOE Starter Kit.

Why do I need a White Light Head and what is an “Exam Tip”?

The DOE full kit comes with a White Light Head for oral illumination and transillumination. FUSION curing light can optionally add-on White Light Head. It accomplishes two goals:

  • Illumination to have side-by-side visual under fluorescence and enhanced white light illumination with the same magnification image
  • Transillumination for hard tissue oral health exam including dental caries, fractures, and root canal.

The Exam Tip (also doubles as a Tacking Tip for veneers/crowns/brackets with curing light head) is a disposable black 3mm opening tip that adapts and snaps into the end of the light head to cut down side light emission and guide the light propagation into a focused filament of light. It enables transillumination into interproximal teeth and improves contrast of visual exams on anterior, posterior and endo root canal.

How do I make sure that the composites/adhesives are cured properly?

Proper composite cures are essential to good restorations that not only avoid tooth sensitivity and rework/bonding failure but also longer lasting tooth/brackets and happier return customers.

Four core variables of proper curing are:

  • Curing Light Selection
  • Correct Operating Technique
  • Proper Composite/Adhesive Selection
  • Deliver Required Energy

FUSION has been proven to be the best curing light in power, ease of use and reliability.

To operate correctly, make sure that the light is directed at the composite as close as possible. Use curing cap as the anchor to the cavity for stable positioning and direction.

Test the composite outside of the mouth on a piece of paper or even better on a short tube (e.g. 2mm) cut from your compule. Check on the composite hardness on the bottom side to make sure that it is hard enough after your typical curing time.

FUSION has been proven to deliver the most energy in a given period of time. With a typical curing time of 5 seconds, it easily delivers over 10J/cm2 which is the typical energy required for composite cure.

Why is FUSION better than other curing lights?

Every day, more than half of a million white filling restorations are performed using curing lights. Every year, 260 million white fillings are placed. Studies have shown that the average lifetimes of the fillings are only 5.7 years. 24% of restorations failed out of 500,000 cases.  They are results of improper cures due to lack of correct energy dosage in filling pocket deep from the top surface.

Most LED curing lights on the market today have an irradiance (intensity or power density) value below 1000 mW/cm2 while a lot of them significantly overclaim their power using artificially inflated radiometer. FDA guidelines require a minimum of 400 mW/cm2 for proper cure. Curing lights are the second most frequently used dental devices. The cost averages per use of the device is insignificant to the price of the device, which typically ranges from $300 to $1700 with some budget lights sold on the internet (with no regulation controls) going as low as $9. Many studies have shown that the low cost budget curing lights are not worth the investment given the poor performance and quality impacting the quality of a professional practice not to mention the legal liability.

High power and rapid curing lights are highly desirable since the composite hardness and curing time are directly tied to the local irradiance. Therefore, uniform and high irradiance level are highly desirable for composite cure. Uncured composite results in tooth sensitivity, microleakage and increased wear of the composite that influence the success rate of a restoration or the result of a bonding failure.

Aside from power or energy distribution, curing lights vary significantly in terms of their ergonomics, cordless vs. corded, functionality, wavelength and more importantly their quality and service/support.

As the second most used clinical equipment, curing light selection is critical to the daily clinical operation and work flow. It is not worth buying cheap lights with no back up service and no validations of its performance considering the cost of redoing any fillings and brackets far outweighs the cost of the device.

Proven clinically and scientifically (see Testimonials and Technology), FUSION is the latest and greatest LED curing light on the market surpassing its predecessors who have earned top ratings and reviews from the most reputable independent evaluations involving more than 60 independent practices and 20 leading opinion leaders. It is small and sleek yet unleashing the most power with lowest dispersion of any curing lights on the market today with its unique laser-sharp focused LED technology that zaps any composites in seconds.

    FUSION distinguishes itself from the crowd of other dental curing lights as:
  • The most powerful: proven power of 4000 mW/cm2 (FUSION 5/FUSION Plus/FUSION Grand)
  • Minimum dispersion: power remaining at 2600 mW/cm2 at 8mm distance from the light tip while almost all lights are below 400 mW/cm2
  • The most uniform beam pattern to ensure uniform composite hardness and minimum stress
  • Constant intensity throughout the battery running time and life time.
  • The smallest, the most ergonomic and easy to use with its intuitive and advanced interface
  • The most reliable with close to tens years field proven track record based on its solid metal construction with shock and water proof  design
  • The lowest profile light probe with 360 degree easy access

fusion5-low profile

    • And above all: it is not just a curing light, but the most advanced light system that delivers upgrade options for more revenue streams:
  • fluorescent imaging for composite, caries, and early detection of oral cancer
  • super high power transillumination for caries/fracture/canal detection
  • full arch bleaching
  • and more


FUSION is setting a new standard in LED Curing Light and it is the best buy in terms of its combination of performance and cost.

Does FUSION cure all materials?

Yes. FUSION 5 cures CQ/PPD photoinitiator based composite. FUSION Plus and FUSION Grand cure all materials. It uses a smart patent-pending interchangeable 360 degree swivel LED light head that accommodates standard LED and broadband LEDs enabling it to cure all dental composites.

Does FUSION generate heat?

In general, the higher the intensity of curing light, the more heat it generates. Common test of an LED curing light by pointing it to the finger and feeling how hot it gets from the light tip tells you the power and quality of a light. The higher the optical power, the hotter it is going to feel on your finger from optical absorption of your skin. If it does not feel anything on your finger right away, it is a low power LED light. For example, FUSION 5 at plasma power mode feels hot quicker than at pulse power.

There are several techniques to manage heat from high intensity curing lights including
FUSION:

  • Use appropriate curing times. Limit the exposure time on a single tooth to below 3 seconds at a time, which has proven to be safe.
  • Do not place light in direct contact with unprotected gingival, oral mucous membrane or skin. Prevent heat accumulation with a rubber dam in place or apply Kool-Dam on the gingiva and surrounding soft tissue prior to curing.
  • Use technique of blowing air from an air syringe on the tooth being restored at the same time the resin is being cured as suggested by Dr. Gordon Christensen.
  • Use technique of placing a wet cotton roll directly on the tooth crown opposite the side of exposure to lesson temperature rise.
  • Use Pulse Power Mode to generate less heat if the users are more comfortable with it.

FUSION uses the most efficient passive cooling technology from aircraft aluminum as heat dissipator for LED. FUSION 5 is the most efficient curing light in that it generates the smallest amount of heat at the same energy than any other lights. It maintains its cool throughout the running times. Since light curing happens in short duration different from constant power sources such as computers, passive cooling without a fan is not only sufficient to ensure optimal performance, but also extends product lifetimes as is proven in the field for years. FUSION has a typical continuous run time of several minutes before self thermal protection and shutdown in Plasma Power Mode. Considering the extreme high intensity and perfect beam quality from FUSION light tip, typical composite curing time is just 3-6 seconds. The heat concern should not be an issue in normal clinical use.

What is Pulse Mode (Standard LED Power) Mode and when do I use it?

    Press and hold TM/PW Key for 3 seconds to set at Pulse mode (1300mW/cm2). Use this power mode to avoid heat. The matter of fact is, since FUSION is so much advanced and powerful, that the Pulse Mode (Half-power mode) is higher than or equal to actual power outputs of other leading brand LED curing lights with a similar tip size. For example, Demi with 11mm Turbo tip outputs 1100mW/cm2 power*. With its advanced heat cooling and power maintenance technology, FUSION generates minimum heat in Half Power mode and allows continuous operation without any interruptions.
    This mode is also used for extended running in oral exam and bleaching.

* Data from Reality Publishing: the Ratings - LED Curing Lights, Dec. 2008.

Is FUSION cordless and what is the benefit of cordless?

    Thanks to its superior technology and engineering design, FUSION has been independently proven as the smallest high power cordless light achieving performances in power and functionality no other corded or cordless lights can match. It takes the smallest counter space with a counter charger stand. Or it can sit right on your dental unit with optional dental unit charger holder. As powerful as it is, FUSION maintains consistent power through its battery run time.
    Cordless provides freedom of movement in patient treatment: allowing easier access without the cord dangling around and avoiding costly limitations to a single chair with room-to-room or chair-to-chair mobility. With proper design as demonstrated by FUSION, cordless avoids major long term failure in mechanical fatigue breakage from the cord.

How often does the battery need to be replaced and can the light be serviced?

    FUSION is designed using smart Lithium-Ion battery assembly with built-in micro-controller electronics for protection and smart charging. Together with the most reliable connection components with shock absorbing capabilities, it ensures the longest possible service time of close to 5 years in typical clinical uses. More importantly, it helps the clinicians avoid the hassles of dealing with the battery for a long time and offers the most efficiency in a professional environment.  Even in the case of a battery towards its end of life, users can easily replace the battery assembly with its screw-on connection.
    FUSION is modular in construction. User can easily replace the modular parts for field service. The light can be serviced by our manufacturing facility and authorized repair centers.

Why do I need DOE?

    The most important function of dental care is a thorough assessment and evaluation of the patient's oral and related health status. This includes dental caries that lead to cavity, decays under old composite, soft tissue problems such as cheek bite and worst of all, early signs of oral cancer.
    DOE is a portable non-invasive dental oral exam system that addresses all of the above and more. It offers illumination to aid visualization during oral procedures and works as an adjunct to magnify and enhance the visualization of mucosal abnormalities, lesions, dental caries, fractures and endodontic canal orifice without the need of oral rinsing or switching off the room light.
    DOE offers a win-win solution for both dentists and their patients. It helps patients avoid health problems that could be cost-prohibitive and even life-threatening at a later stage. It helps dentists, together with other modalities, to market their practice to deliver cost-effective yet profitable procedures to give their patients a piece of mind.

How does DOE work?

    Similar to the green fluorescence protein (GFP) that exhibits bright green fluorescence when exposed to blue light in jellyfish, numerous publications [Ref.] in the public domain have established the similar fluorescence in human soft tissue when excited under violet-blue wavelength light.
    Fluorescence from jellyfish is easy to see due to its high quantum efficiency of close to 80% meaning 80% of the excitation light could be converted to the fluorescence emission. However, fluorescence from human soft tissue is much more difficult to observe due to not only lower quantum yield but also broader fluorescence emission.
    DentLight is one of a few companies that achieved such feat in its capability to image soft tissue fluorescence with high resolution and high contrast. The patent-pending DOE design implements the most advanced technology in LED optics for long-range illumination to the back of the throat and high contrast fluorescence optical filters to maximize emission image contrast while suppressing both room and excitation light.Together with its award-winning modular design, DOE delivers to our customers the portable and reliable solutions for complete oral exam.
    References:
    1)        De Veld DCG et al: The status of in vivo autofluorescence spectroscopy and imaging for oral oncology. Oral Oncol. 2005 Feb; 41(2): 117-31
    2)        Svistun E et al: Vision enhancement system for detection of oral cavity neoplasia based on autofluorescence. Head Neck. 2004 Mar; 26(3): 205-15
    3)        Utzinger U et al: Optimal visual perception and detection of oral cavity neoplasia. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2003 Mar; 50(3): 396-9
    4)        Heintzelman DL et al: Optimal excitation wavelengths for in vivo detection of oral neoplasia using fluorescence spectroscopy. Photochem Photobiol 2000; (72)1: 103–113
    5)        Betz CS et al: Autofluorescence imaging and spectroscopy of normal and malignant mucosa in patients with head and neck cancer. Lasers Surg Med. 1999; 25(4): 323-34
    6)        Ingrams DR et al: Autofluorescence characteristics of oral mucosa. Head Neck 1997; (19)1: 27–32
    7)        Onizawa K et al: Fluorescence photography as a diagnostic method for oral cancer. Cancer Lett 1996; 108(1): 61–66

What are the differences between DOE and other brands?

When you want to count on quality, functionality and performance, DentLight has proven over and over that we deliver the best products on the market.

DOE is comparable in working principles to Velscope and Identifi, which all depends on fluorescence imaging as the primary detection mechanism. Yet –

  • DOE is much smaller and portable than Velscope or Identifi enabling detection of back throat imaging which is a common place of problem.
  • DOE has proven integrated rechargeable battery and smart electronics for constant ready exams without the need of changing battery (Identifi) or sleeping mode (Velscope).
  • DOE delivers much higher power LED illumination than Identif similar to Velscope yet integrates passive cooling without the annoying fan noise and reliability headache in the long run.
  • DOE implements patent-pending high contrast optical filter with much better extinction ratio than Identifi yet integrates with magnification loupes for both consistent high resolution imaging and suppression of room light while other brands need to turn off the ambient light.
  • Best of all, DOE is modular and integrates components that can perform a lot more procedures than the other brands including in addition to soft tissue exam: 1) Composite viewing for old composite removal; 2) High-power and guided transillumination for dental caries, fractures, and root canal; 3) Intra-oral Illumination; 4) Bleaching; 5) Optional fast composite curing
  • And what more, the price is right!

I have a FUSION, can I convert to DOE for oral cancer screening?

Yes. With FUSION, you have the options of upgrading to DOE  to perform soft tissue oral exam and oral cancer screening. Simply purchase the FUSION-DOE Starter Kit.

Is DOE just for “Oral Cancer” Exam and what if I give patients “False Positives”?

    DOE is a full oral health exam system not just aimed at screening oral cancer. One of the biggest mistakes that dentists make is over-hyping a single disease like oral cancer while not understating the true value of an oral screening for a multitude of health conditions. The improper communication of these procedures has greatly reduced the perception of the significance and importance of the oral exam.
    DOE is to discover any abnormality, no matter what it might be, from dental caries that lead to cavity, decays under old composite, soft tissue problems such as cheek bite and worst of all, early signs of oral cancer.
    No single device, such as DOE or X-ray machine for that matter, can deliver 100 percent accuracy or effectiveness in detecting conditions such as oral cancer. Detection and diagnosis is accomplished with the accumulation of data from multiple sources and modalities. DOE is an effective screening device for first level oral exams beyond the tip of the iceberg. Signals of problem, e.g., dark tissue with loss of fluorescence, should lead to further diagnosis including salivary diagnosis and oral pathology exams.

Why do I need a White Light Head and what is an “Exam Tip”?

The DOE full kit comes with a White Light Head for oral illumination and transillumination. FUSION curing light can optionally add-on White Light Head. It accomplishes two goals:

  • Illumination to have side-by-side visual under fluorescence and enhanced white light illumination with the same magnification image
  • Transillumination for hard tissue oral health exam including dental caries, fractures, and root canal.

The Exam Tip (also doubles as a Tacking Tip for veneers/crowns/brackets with curing light head) is a disposable black 3mm opening tip that adapts and snaps into the end of the light head to cut down side light emission and guide the light propagation into a focused filament of light. It enables transillumination into interproximal teeth and improves contrast of visual exams on anterior, posterior and endo root canal.

What is the difference between DOE and DOE SE?

    DOE SE is a custom version of DOE kit that primarily addresses oral cancer screening with a simple viewing and control system. DOE SE wand operates continuously for 1 minute with a single push of a run button. Fluorescence image is viewed through the custom Fluorescence Viewer similar to a standard face goggle. Due to the small size of the LED light and high optical illumination, DOE SE enables both intra and extra oral access which are critically important for the detecton of anterior and posterior regions of the oral cavity.
    DOE digital version has expanded capability to perform composite curing and bleaching.

Mounting Tips for: Nano Loupe Light

The Nano Freedom Lamp comes with a reconfigurable female dovetail adapter that slides in and mates with a male adapter fitting on your custom frame. Mount the frame male adapter to your loupes or eyeglass frame and your everyday life will be a big difference

What makes Nano lights the most comfortable lights?

Given that headlights are worn by clinicians all day long, the comfort level directly impacts the practice efficiency.

Factors affecting the comfort levels include the weight and size of LED lamp, wire/cord, battery as well as the ease of activating and deactivating the light and composite filter. Additionally, the optical power, color, and beam quality/uniformity will significantly impact the visual comfort and procedure accuracy.

Nano lights delivers the ideal combination of weight, size and optical beam. Not only we offer the smallest and light weight LED lamps, but most importantly the smallest, lightest and easiest managing wire and battery weight distribution. Combined with the superior quality optical power and beam delivered, users are guaranteed the most comfort and quality of any loupe lights as explained in more technical details in "How is DentLight different from other headlights".

How long will the wire/connector last?

    Lamp wire and connector are the most stressed component in the headlamp use. Beyond personal care and wire management, the engineering designs of wire and connector are directly tied to the professional lifetime of the product.
    Nano 2S/2C are the fourth generation lights designed by DentLight. Material selection, patent-pending engineering and simplicity are the keys to the product design success. Rather than complicating the design with connection on the lamp side which introduces more failure point, we reduce the stress by shrinking the wire size to 1/4 of normal wire using nano-engineered teflon wire with a patent-pending reinforced connector on the battery side.

wire-connection

    The unique mechanical properties of the teflon materials used in the wire offer ten times the flexural strength as well as impact, cut-through and abrasion resistance than regular PE wires. This enables us to reduce the lamp wire diameter from 3mm to 1.5mm thus shrinking the wire volume to 1/4 of normal wires. The smaller size not only reduces stress but also improves the durability and handling from clinical wear and tear.
    Combined with custom soldered and molded connector with a reinforced jacket, the new generation Nano releases represent the most advanced technology design for professional medical illumination applications making the wire and connector so much easier to use and manage that the wire feels like "invisible" to most users.
    Additionally, the new release kits come with custom protection cord to further extend the lifetime of your lamp in a harsh clinical environment with expected service life 2-3x longer than normal headlamp.
    Furthermore, Nano 2S/2C are designed with modular construction for easy in-house service replacement, which no other manufacturers offer. This will reduce the cost of ownership of the product for a long long time of profit generation in the clinics.

Which headlight works best for me?

Headlight is a step up from normal lighting solutions in that it offers flexibility and direct line-of-sight illumination with no blind spot. Depending on personal eye sensitivity, each person could be somewhat different in the preference of his/her lighting solution depending on his/her standard eye wear (for e.g., prescription glasses, safety goggle, face shield etc) and magnification loupes (brand names, magnification, optics and frame style). In general , sufficient lighting is required to achieve the detail and clarity in order to better handle operating procedures. DentLight's solutions offer:

  • Nano 2S and 2C for general illumination with magnification
  • Xtreme for oral surgeons, endodontists and high power magnification users who requires more intensity

All of our solutions have the best characteristics in their class in weight, size, digital functions, and a full suite of accessaries that significantly ease the integration and operation of the lights.

We offer five mounting adapters that fit on all loupe brands and frames.

Why do I need a light?

With magnification loupes becoming more of a standard in restorative procedures, there is an ever increasing demand for better oral cavity illumination due to reduced optical aperture from the magnification optics.

Overhead operating light and fiber optic headlight have been the standard for normal procedures until the past three years when the advancement of LEDs are starting to replace normal halogen, Xenon and plasma lighting in the same fashion of curing light.

LED headlights make it possible to become smaller, brighter, lighter, portable and much more economic in scale of starting and operating a dental office. As a result, they are replacing the traditional fiber optic headlight and overhead operating light as championed by a number of industry leaders.

More and more dentists are starting a practice ground up or transforming their offices leveraging on the new LED technology. The ideal combination of a good LED light and appropriate magnification speeds up procedures, improve quality of restorations and helping find canal. Just like the old saying: Seeing is Believing.

DentLight offers the best combination of the both world in quality and economy. With the suite of solutions we offer, you can always find the comfort of what you need with the assurances of quality support behind you all the times.

What is a composite filter and How is DentLight’s different?

Composite filter helps normal restorative procedures in preventing composite cures during prep and filling before final cures.

The filter first needs to have sufficient isolation of blue wavelength light to prevent composite cured while applying the adhesive or packing the box.

Second is convenience of use in that it is easy to move in and out of filtering position for normal and composite procedures without fighting with loupes lenses (e.g. rotating filter).

Third is contamination when the gloves do not contaminate the loupe and light.

DentLight's composite filter is custom designed and molded to achieve all the above characteristics. It comes with three parts assembled:

  • Snap-on clip to headlight so that the filter can be taken in or out of the light in a snap
  • Orange filter to block blue light
  • Filter flip tool that can easily touch set filter into preset angels/positions while preventing any contamination on the filter, light or loupe.

The Filter flip tool can be easily slide out and autoclaved for disinfection.

No more fighting with the filter loose, screw, bump with lens and contamination.

Do I still need to replace light bulb?

Fiber optic headlight uses Xenon or Halogen lamp with lifetimes in the range of 500-1000 hours. DentLight's LED headlights use high quality and high power LED lamp integrated with advanced heat sink and heat protection systems with lifetimes rated above 50,000 hours. Under normal use conditions with good product care, you would need a very long time to replace the lamp. Our warranty covers lifetime use of the lamp for your LED.

How much light is enough for me?

It is primarily determined by the magnification times of your loupes. When you double the magnifications, you need to quadruple the amount of light to see under the same contrast/clarity.

Secondarily, eye sensitivity of each person is different and even the same person is different at different ages. It never hurts to have sufficient power if you can while you have the freedom of adjusting to your like.

DentLight's solutions deliver sufficient light to cover users of all ages, all magnifications and all loupes.

Can you weigh the advantadges of Headlights with Overhead Operating Lights?

Overhead Operating Lights have been the industry standards for ages.

The advantadges of the DentLight headlights vs a quality Overhead are:

  • Much brighter: 2 to 4x more concentrated light which is crucial in loupe procedures in efficiency and doing better quality work 
  • Portable with minimum weight (basically you feel no burden with you)
  • Direct line-of-sight with no shadows (ideal for teeth extraction)
  • Skylight color easing color matching
  • Easy composite settings
  • Does not taken any chair/counter space
  • No more bulb replacement
  • As low as a fifth of the cost

Why should I buy your lights as compared to other cheaper lights?

    DentLight's headlights are half the cost of similar quality products with FDA certifications.
    If you are comparing with LED lights in consumer stores that cost less than $100, the differences are:
  • 4x to 8x more optical power with much focused beam (light you can not live with loupes)
  • Easy mounting to your loupes and eye wear
  • Integrated small rechargeable battery packs (you never need to worry about buying AA every day, the cost of which in a year will be more than the light)
  • Add on accessories to enable your professional job
  • Full service and support
    One of the major concerns over the loupe light is safety as incidents have happened including fire hazard from burning battery and skin burn from lamp high temperature as illustrated from image below.

lumadentbatteryfire-dentaltown

DentLight offers the most trustworthy and quality products as proven by clinicians and we stand fully behind our products as compared to some other companies without any FDA certification or independent validations on quality or performance. See How is Dentlight different from other headlights? for further comparisons.

What if I am not happy with your headlights?

DentLight has a 30-day money back guarantee for you to try out. Please contact your distributor for returns and credits.

Does DentLight’s headlights get hot?

    LED headlights generate light through electrical current. The conversion from electrical power to optical power is close to quantum limit meaning that it is much more efficient than normal light bulb (about 80% energy saving). The part of electricity that did not convert to light dumps into heat sink of the headlight and increases temperatures.
    Every high power headlight will generate some heat and become hot over time. The higher the power, the more heat. Depending on the size of the light, the heat will transfer into local temperatures or hot temperatures. The smaller the light, the hotter it gets with the same amount of electrical driving current and same surface areas.
    DentLight's headlights are designed to optimize the heat transfer at their individual design size and engineering target. There is one main difference between our lights and other competitors lights in that we isolate heat for safe operations.
    The new generation release (8/2015) significantly improved the heat dissipation and management resulting a super cool lamp even at the high power setting that the user will never feel their finger or skin hot burnt upon touching the lamp as is the case with other lights.

 

Can I leave the battery on the charger all the time?

Yes. You are assured of safety with our smart battery.

One of the major concerns over the loupe light is safety as incidents have happened including fire hazard from burning battery while charging overnight as illustrated from the image below.

lumadentbatteryfire-dentaltown

Dentlight's battery pack integrates smart charging electronics that automatically shuts down the current upon full charge and safely charges the battery at low battery voltage without overheating. Our battery pack represents the most advanced Li battery technology (represented by iPhone, iPad of today's world) and the most advanced integrated recharging circuits.

 

How is Dentlight different from other headlights?

DentLight has designed a flexible and wearable light
platform to suit to all dental professionals’ needs.  

On the general dentistry’s side, three models cover general
illumination needs: - Nano 2S Plus, Nano Freedom2, and Nano Freedom2 Plus. All
three models are interchangeable in their use of parts from lamp to battery so
that the users can pick and upgrade whenever they need. One model cover both
illumination and fluorescent hands-free assistance needs: Nano Black lights

All four models use a small LED lamp (5 grams) with two
built-in connectors to link to either one battery pod for 3 hours non-stop
operation, or two battery pods for 6 hours, or optionally to a battery pack
(Nano 2S Plus) for 10 hours operation with Nano 2S Plus battery packed light
the most economic in price.

For users prefer wireless and hand-free option, Nano Freedom2,
Nano Freedom2 Plus and Nano Black are ideal choices depending on magnifications
and procedures. Unlike other wireless headlights that bear the battery weight
on the operator’s nose making it very uncomfortable over a long working day,
Nano Freedom2 has the unique battery design that fits its
battery on any frame temples. This allows the battery to disperse its weight
evenly across the head resulting in much more comfortable user experience. In
addition, the battery pod uses proximity sensor for touch-free activation and
easy operation. The system is designed for durability, flexibility and minimum
recurring cost for heavy duty daily uses

The system can switch to Nano Black lamp, the first
integrated multi-wavelengths LED light that includes a user selectable daylight
or violet light for either hands-free general or fluorescent illumination. The
wearable fluorescence technology in combination with regular loupes and
SafeLoupe insert enhances the vision to observe malignant soft tissues, decays,
composite, as well as dental caries from the fluorescent contrast of healthy
soft or hard tissue with the signature dark or red/orange fluorescence.

DentLight is pride in offering technologies that are the
lightest and most comfortable loupe light on the market by a huge margin.

On the oral surgery and general surgery side, we offer the Xtreme2 surgical light that delivers medium-to-high end optical power of up to 100,000 lux with uniform and variable beam size adjustment ideal for surgeons, endodontists and professionals who require the most power and beam contrast.

How long does the battery run?

Battery performance (hours)

Nano 2S Nano 2C
Level I 24 10
Level II 14 6
Level III 10 4.5

With your choice of the industries' longest running battery or smallest battery, you can work all day or half a day without worrying about your battery at the highest intensity levels for your eye wear.

Nano battery has the option of direct plug in from charging cord to power up the unit as corded light for non-interrupted run.

Will Nano 2S/2C fit on any loupes, glasses or eyewear?

Yes. We offer a suite of five standard mounting adapters and a few more adapters for custom loupes. The adapters suit a broad range of personal preferences including removable and semi-permanent more secure attachment.

Is it possible to operate Nano handsfree?

    Yes. Nano 2S and 2C come in with two special features that enable handsfree operation:
    1. Battery pack with large ON/OFF key that only requires a simple knock from the elbow to turn on and off the light. This feature avoids contamination on the battery.
    2. Composite filter flip-up paddle that avoids contamination of filter/light.
    Furthermore, if you want the most convenient hands free operation, you may upgrade to the new release Nano 2S Touchless which uses an optimized capacitance activated sensor to help you activate the light through your pocket or gown with a simple close proximity placement of your wrist or forearm.

How durable are the Nano lights?

    When it comes to engineering design, DentLight is vertically integrated in the design and implementation of all components. We do not cut corners and use cheap components for professional use. We ensure the highest quality and design in our products to their engineering extreme in form-factor, functionality, ease of use and durability on each component of LED, wire/connector, SMT, housing, and battery.
    Headlamp itself consists of LED on its mounting base and optical assembly. Nano headlamp is shock proof in durability.
    Unlike other headlights using off-the-shelf wire and connectors, Nano  uses custom nano-engineered wire and patent-pending reinforced connectors unmatched on the market in comfort, strength and quality. We are proud to achieve the engineering feat that our competitors can only look up to.
    Our products have evolved through four generations in 10 years with each one performing better than the previous one while maintaining our pricing throughout the improvements. This is different from other companies who outsource their development or rely on standard off-the-shelf parts that mostly does not meet the harsh clinical environment.
    Furthermore, our modular design makes it easy for our service department to repair any components in the product including replacement of wires, connectors, lenses, and SMT components typically in just a couple of days.
    We pride ourselves in standing behind our products over the past 15 years serving dental professionals to their highest standards.

What are the differences between Nano 2S/2C and our previous Nano lights?

Nano 2S and 2C are our newest models replacing the previous Nano 1.0 and Nano 2.0.

Three areas have been significantly improved over the previous models while maintaining the price:

  • Upgraded the cord and connector to nano-engineered wire and patent-pending reinforced 135 degree angle connector - the industry's thinnest and most durable cord with custom molded super strong connector.
  • New optics to expand the beam size by 50% for optimum full oral cavity uniform illumination.
  • Double (2C) and quadruple (2S) the running time of the batteries with improved interface, smart alarm and set-and-forget power settings.

Nano 2S and 2C battery packs are compatible with previous generations.

What are the color temperature and beam size? Can you describe the optical uniformity?

DentLight's headlight is designed to operate at a “Natural
 Light” color temperature of 5500 Kelvin, which simulates the North 
Sky 
Daylight.

Nano 2S and 2C have a focused beam size of 3.0 inches at 14 inch distance. Since men's average oral cavity size is between 2 and 2.4 inches while women's are between 1.8 and 2.2 inches, the optimized beam size will illuminate the full oral cavity at full open position while reducing spill over light to the patient's eye.

Our custom optics enables uniform illumination within the field of view of regular loupes unlike most other headlights with uneven patterns with the light beam. This is particularly important in shade matching to ensure the best possible color matching with no visual mistakes.

Where can I purchase DentLight’s products?

DentLight sells its products through most dental specialty distributors and dealers in the US. We exhibit our products at a number of regional and major trade shows. We are expanding internationally in Europe and Asia. Please check on where-to-buy for individual products. Service is offered through our manufacturing facility in Plano, TX. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.

Which headlight works best for me?

Headlight is a step up from normal lighting solutions in that it offers flexibility and direct line-of-sight illumination with no blind spot. Depending on personal eye sensitivity, each person could be somewhat different in the preference of his/her lighting solution depending on his/her standard eye wear (for e.g., prescription glasses, safety goggle, face shield etc) and magnification loupes (brand names, magnification, optics and frame style). In general , sufficient lighting is required to achieve the detail and clarity in order to better handle operating procedures. DentLight's solutions offer:

  • Nano 2S and 2C for general illumination with magnification
  • Xtreme for oral surgeons, endodontists and high power magnification users who requires more intensity

All of our solutions have the best characteristics in their class in weight, size, digital functions, and a full suite of accessaries that significantly ease the integration and operation of the lights.

We offer five mounting adapters that fit on all loupe brands and frames.

Why do I need a light?

With magnification loupes becoming more of a standard in restorative procedures, there is an ever increasing demand for better oral cavity illumination due to reduced optical aperture from the magnification optics.

Overhead operating light and fiber optic headlight have been the standard for normal procedures until the past three years when the advancement of LEDs are starting to replace normal halogen, Xenon and plasma lighting in the same fashion of curing light.

LED headlights make it possible to become smaller, brighter, lighter, portable and much more economic in scale of starting and operating a dental office. As a result, they are replacing the traditional fiber optic headlight and overhead operating light as championed by a number of industry leaders.

More and more dentists are starting a practice ground up or transforming their offices leveraging on the new LED technology. The ideal combination of a good LED light and appropriate magnification speeds up procedures, improve quality of restorations and helping find canal. Just like the old saying: Seeing is Believing.

DentLight offers the best combination of the both world in quality and economy. With the suite of solutions we offer, you can always find the comfort of what you need with the assurances of quality support behind you all the times.

Why do I need a loupe?

    The experience with most doctors when they try their first pair of loupes is WOW!
    Loupes provide distortion free magnification between 2x and 8x that improves work quality from a millimeter to easily 50 microns. As a result, any procedures carried with a naked eye will have automatic improvement in the quality and speed of work including margins, contacts, canals, and implants etc.
    Additionally, loupes insure you to work at an optimum posture without the need of bending your back to get closer look. Long-term benefits have been proven tremendous in avoiding chronicle back pains and extending career lifetime.
    When combined with fluorescence imaging in DOE, loupes ensure consistent soft and hard tissue imaging with less false positives.
    Loupes make your work much more enjoyable every day.

Tell me about Dentlight’s loupe?

DentLight’s loupes offer distortion-free magnification between 2x and 4x with standard flip-up design that fits universally, whether it is prescription or non-prescription users. It comes with three style frame selections with the sports-frame being the most popular. The advantages of our loupe are both economic and lightwegit together with its compatibility to all our other products including DOE.

How is SafeLoupe Filter compared with clip-in filters?

As an alternative to clip-in laser filter solution, SafeLoupe Filter has many advantages to ease the dental procedures:

Traditional Clip-ins Patent-pending Clip-on
Fit to loupes Fit to loupe inside frame. Difficult and cumbersome. 14 sizes to fit variety of frames. Interfere with protruded lens. Have to bend on most frames Fit to outside of lens barrel with easy Clip on. Three size fit all.
Visible transmission Visible color distortion and low transmission (green, pink, or cyan). Interferes with normal cosmetic procedures No color distortion and high visible wavelength transmission
Comfort level Very uncomfortable on weight and proximity to eyes/face. Very comfortable just like normal loupe wear. Do not feel weight.
Fogging Yes from double layers and closeness to breathing. No
Interruption to normal procedures Yes. Have to deglove and place on filter for laser procedure. Interrupting full cosmetic procedures. No

What is SafeLoupe Filter?

SafeLoupe Laser filter is a patent-pending clip-on optical laser filter to existing loupes to add laser protection to dental laser procedures. The filter fits on the loupe frame outside and loupe ocular outer rim as compared to the alternative clip-in filters which clipped on the inside frame of the loupes.

Does SafeLoupe filter fit on my loupes?

SafeLoupe laser filter fits on most of the major brand and conventional loupes including Orascoptic, Designs for Vision, Surgitel (except micro flip-up), Zeiss, iZoom, Sheervision, and PeriOptix.

Please specify your loupe model when placing order.

How safe is SafeLoupe?

SafeLoupe Laser Filters consist of custom high performance clip-on ocular optical filters and extraocular shields that attenuate laser radiation in the standard dental laser wavelengths of 810, 940 and 980 nm for eye safe operation. The ocular filters are high contrast visible bandpass and infrared bandstop optical filters enabling both optimum visible wavelength visual transmission and infrared laser protection in the ocular field of the magnification loupes. The extraocular slide-in shield protects all side scattered light for completely safe eye protection.