THREE-DIMENSIONAL CURING LIGHT
A curing light may include a housing sized and configured for placement over a tooth. A first facet positioned within the housing may have a first LED mounted thereon, a second facet positioned within the housing may have a second LED mounted thereon, and a third facet positioned within the housing may have a third LED mounted thereon.
This continuation application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/776,695 titled THREE DIMENSIONAL CURING LIGHT filed on May 10, 2010 which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/445,498 filed on Jun. 1, 2006 which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/686,261 filed on Jun. 1, 2005. The content of each of the aforementioned applications is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to the field of curing lights and, more particularly, to the field of three-dimensional curing lights.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONAlthough teeth have a 3-dimensional shape, prior art dental curing lights all emit light that can only be applied to one side of a tooth at a time. Exposing the entire tooth to light emitted by a curing light uses up valuable dentist chair time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA 3-dimensional curing light is disclosed.
Three dimensional curing lights are disclosed that can emit light for polymerizing monomers into polymers from 3 sides of a tooth at the same time. This approach can also be used to enhance the properties of the cured dental composite, and to achieve a deeper cure.
While the present invention has been described and illustrated in conjunction with a number of specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the principles of the invention as herein illustrated, described, and claimed. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as only illustrative, and not restrictive. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
Claims
1. A curing light, comprising:
- a housing sized and configured for placement over a tooth;
- a first facet positioned within the housing having a first LED mounted thereon, said first facet configured to face a crown of the tooth when the housing is placed over the tooth;
- a second facet positioned within the housing having a second LED mounted thereon, said second facet configured to face a first exposed side of the tooth when the housing is placed over the tooth; and
- a third facet positioned within the housing having a third LED mounted thereon, said third facet configured to face a second exposed side of the tooth when the housing is placed over the tooth, said second exposed side of the tooth being opposite of said first exposed side.
2. The curing light head of claim 1, wherein each facet includes an outer surface and an inner surface spaced from said outer surface.
3. The curing light head of claim 2, wherein each LED is positioned within a space defined by said outer surface spaced from said inner surface.
4. The curing light head of claim 3, wherein each said LED is mounted on a heat sink.
5. The curing light head of claim 4, wherein each said heat sink is spaced from said outer surface.
6. The curing light head of claim 5, wherein an air gap is positioned between each said heat sink and said outer surface.
7. The curing light of claim 1, wherein said second and third facets are oriented parallel to one another.
8. The curing light of claim 1, wherein said first facet is oriented at about a ninety degree angle with respect to at least one of the second and third facets.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 23, 2016
Publication Date: Aug 11, 2016
Inventor: Densen Cao (Sandy, UT)
Application Number: 15/078,119