A dental curing light includes a device body that efficiently conducts heat away from the light emitting diode (LED) portion of the curing light. The device body is one-piece body formed from a continuous seamless piece of thermally conductive material extending between a proximal end and a distal end. The one-piece body includes a gripping handle portion extending to the proximal end and a light-emitting head portion extending to the distal end. The one-piece thermally conductive body acts as a heat sink to efficiently conduct heat away from the LED dies during use. The one-piece body eliminates problems of multi-segmented curing lights that include one or more joints between adjacent segments. Eliminating joints increases thermal conductivity of the body, eliminates crevices where microbes can grow, and eliminates the risk of accidental separation if the curing light is dropped.

A smart lighting system for applying light to teeth in the context of tooth whitening and teeth that have been provided with a light-curable whitening varnish. The system includes a light-generating unit, a light-patterning unit, a mouth imaging unit, a mouth image sensing unit, and an image processing and control unit, and is adapted so as to allow the image processing and control unit to adjust the light-patterning unit on the basis of information obtained from the mouth image sensing unit. By doing so, prior to allowing the light-generating unit to emit light, it can be ensured that light emitted to assist tooth whitening, does not affect soft tissue.

Provided herein is an adapter for a dental curing light. The adapter can restrict or otherwise concentrate light as it is emitted from the dental curing light making the beam of light more focused to a specific portion of a tooth rather than radiating an entire tooth. The adapter can have different customizable shapes and sizes which is beneficial for adhering attachments commonly used with orthodontic aligners to a tooth.

A dental crown and method of use thereof. According to the method provided herein, a dental crown is selected having an appropriate size and shape and an internal contour. The tooth to which the crown is to be applied is prepared to have an external contour. Composite material is injected into the internal contour of the dental crown. The dental crown is placed over the prepared tooth and the deposited composite material is cured using light.

Disclosed is a dental carpule with that includes a nozzle for dispensing a dental composition and a burnisher for burnishing the dispensed composition. The carpule allows burnishing a dental composition with the same device used to dispense the dental composition.

The invention relates to the application of photon energy to energize dental materials to enhance their physical handling characteristics, efficacy, ability to be delivered, reactivity, polymerization, and/or post-cure mechanical properties, among other attributes.

The present invention relates to methods for curing polymeric dental appliances comprised of partially cured photopolymerizable components, especially for additively manufactured denture base and artificial tooth components utilized in the production of full and partial dental prostheses. In particular, the invention relates to methods of utilizing a curing apparatus having one or more controllable heating sources and one or more controllable LED light sources to achieve specific preheating and light curing conditions for more effectively converting partially cured photopolymerizable components from a partially cured state to a final cured state.

A light curing dental system comprising a light emitting tray that precisely distributes an optimal amount of curing light energy to internal, external and extra oral portions of the dental arch to cure a dental material. The light curing dental system generally includes a light source, a light emitting dental tray, an activation module and a photocurable dental material.

A patient support apparatus includes a plurality of primary sensors adapted to measure different parameters used in the control of the patient support apparatus. One or more suites of secondary sensors are added to the patient support apparatus to provide data about the primary sensors. The secondary sensors may be used to detect errors in the primary sensors, to modify outputs from the primary sensors, and/or to provide usage and/or diagnostic data about the use of the patient support apparatus. The suite(s) of secondary sensors may measure parameters that affect the outputs of one or more of the primary sensors. In some embodiments, the suite(s) of secondary sensors include one or more dormant sensors that are not used on the patient support apparatus until a code modification is received from one or more external sources instructing the control system of the patient support apparatus to begin using the dormant sensor(s).

A three-dimensional printing system including a feed source of uncured filled resin material, a print head configured to apply discrete layers of a composition including upconversion phosphors, and a radiation source configured to irradiate layers of uncured filled resin material and deposited layers of the composition is provided. A method of three dimensionally printing a dental article is also provided.