Dental Light Curing Device with Adjustable Power Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current light curing devices for dental restorative materials face challenges in efficiently curing large and deep restorations without causing overcuring or incomplete hardening, particularly due to limitations in power control and time settings, which can lead to edge gaps and health risks from free radicals.
Innovation Solution
A light curing device that allows for adjustable light dose control, enabling pre-hardening with reduced power and time for deep restorations, allowing for better control over hardness gradients and minimizing shrinkage, with independent pre-hardening and main hardening cycles, and visual feedback through light signaling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If light curing is performed with high power to ensure complete hardening, then curing completeness is improved, but the risk of overcuring and brittleness increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing a pre-curing step at reduced power before the main curing step. This preliminary hardening creates a stable base structure that prevents overcuring brittleness while ensuring complete final hardening through the subsequent main curing phase at full power.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic action by dividing the curing process into distinct phases: a pre-curing phase at reduced power followed by a main curing phase at full power. This periodic structure allows controlled hardening progression, avoiding the brittleness associated with continuous high-power exposure while ensuring complete curing.
2Manufacturing precision
If light curing time is extended to achieve uniform hardening, then hardening uniformity is improved, but treatment time and patient discomfort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-curing step performs preliminary hardening of the dental material at reduced power, creating an initial uniform structure. This preliminary action allows the main curing step to complete the process more quickly while maintaining uniformity, thereby reducing overall treatment time without sacrificing hardening quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the power parameter during the curing process by using reduced power for pre-curing and full power for main curing. This parameter variation enables efficient time management while maintaining hardening uniformity across different depths of the material.
3Strength
If light power is reduced to prevent overcuring, then material brittleness is reduced, but the ability to penetrate deep layers is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-curing step at reduced power performs preliminary hardening that is sufficient for superficial and moderate depths while maintaining material toughness. The subsequent main curing step at full power then penetrates deep layers to ensure complete hardening, combining the advantages of both low and high power exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The periodic switching between reduced power (pre-curing) and full power (main curing) enables the system to address different depth requirements at appropriate times. The reduced power phase protects against brittleness while the full power phase ensures deep penetration and complete curing.
4Manufacturing precision
If sequential layer curing is performed to prevent edge gaps from shrinkage, then gap formation is reduced, but the process becomes time-consuming and laborious
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-curing step performs preliminary hardening of the entire dental material volume at reduced power, creating initial structural stability throughout. This preliminary action reduces subsequent shrinkage movements that cause edge gaps, while the accelerated main curing step completes the process quickly without requiring multiple sequential layer exposures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise control over the curing process, reducing the risk of overcuring and edge gaps, allowing for easier shaping and adjustment of dental restorations, while minimizing patient discomfort and ensuring complete hardening without the presence of free radicals.
Implementation Method 1
Light curing devices are typically operated with predetermined exposure times during which polymerization of the dental materials to be polymerized takes place
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention comprises a light-curing device, particularly for dental restorative materials, with a light source and a control device for the light-curing device capable of switching the light source on at different power levels. The light-curing device has a trigger element by which the user can switch the light-curing device on at a reduced dose for pre-curing the dental restorative material, and the control device specifically signals the reduced dose.