SPEC 3 Frequently Asked Questions: 1. How do I turn on the S.P.E.C. 3 Curing Light? You can power up the Curing Light by pressing either of the two control buttons on the face of the SPEC 3 Curing Light. The unit beeps one time indicating the S.P.E.C. 3 LED Curing Light is ready to use after briefly displaying the battery charge level. 2. How do I determine the battery charge level? When the S.P.E.C. 3 LED Curing Light is first turned on the number of green LEDs on the control panel will indicate the battery charge level. Three green lights indicate a fully charged Curing Light. One or two green lights indicate the Curing Light is not fully charged but can still be used. 3. How do I know if there is sufficient battery charge to cure the composite? The S.P.E.C. 3 LED Curing Light has an internal safety check that will not allow a cure cycle to start if there is not enough battery power to complete the cure cycle. 4. How long does the battery last? On Standard Mode, the S.P.E.C. 3 can perform over 300 ten second cure cycles before it requires a recharge. On 3K Mode, the S.P.E.C. 3 can perform over 350 three second cure cycles before it requires a recharge. 5. How do I turn off the S.P.E.C. 3 Curing Light? The S.P.E.C. 3 LED Curing Light will automatically turn off after approximately 5 minutes of inactivity. All the control panel display backlights will turn off indicating the light is off. 6. How do I determine which mode of operation the S.P.E.C. 3 LED Curing Light is set to? When the S.P.E.C. 3 LED Curing Light is turned on, the control charge level indicator displays for approximately 3 seconds then changes to indicate the mode by color and the duration by the number of LED’s illuminated. A Green color indicator on the control panel means Standard Mode, an Orange color indicator means 3K or Ortho Mode. 7. How do I change the mode of operation? Press and hold the “MODE” button (the one furthest from the light guide). The LED indicator color will change from green to orange or orange to green indicating the mode Green = Standard Mode, Orange = 3K and Ortho Mode. 8. How do I determine the duration of exposure the S.P.E.C. 3 LED Curing Light is set to? After the S.P.E.C. 3 LED Curing Light is turned on and briefly displays the battery charge level, the mode and duration of operation is displayed: a. Standard mode i. (1) Green indicator illuminated: 5 seconds at 1600 mW/cm2 ii. (2 )Green indicators illuminated: 10 seconds at 1600 mW/cm2 iii. (3) Green indicators illuminated: 15 seconds at 1600 mW/cm2 30944B 9.
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30944B b. 3K mode i. (1) Orange indicator illuminated: 1 seconds at 3000 mW/cm2 ii. (2) Orange indicators illuminated: 2 seconds at 3000 mW/cm2 iii. (3) Orange indicators illuminated: 3 seconds at 3000 mW/cm2 c. Ortho mode i. (4) Orange indicators illuminated: the light will output 3000 mW/cm2 for 3 seconds followed by a brief visual blink. This cycle is repeated 32 times and is intended for curing a full arch of orthodontic bracket or 16 brackets total. How do I change the duration of exposure? Press and release the “MODE” button briefly, the number of indicators will change. How do I initiate the selected curing cycle? Press the “SHOT” button (the button closest to the light guide) How do I terminate the curing cycle prior to timeout? Press the “SHOT” button again and the light will terminate the cure cycle. It will remain in the on condition ready to initiate another cure cycle What are the indications for use of the three S.P.E.C. 3 LED Curing Light modes? a. Standard Mode i. Ideal for most composite curing scenarios ii. Preferred for Bonding agents and Resin based composite curing b. 3K Mode i. For rapid curing when cure time is an issue (time saving) ii. Pedo or patients with gag reflex iii. Preferred for Resin based composite curing c. Orthodontic Mode i. Cures an entire full-­‐arch of brackets with two 3 second intervals per bracket How do I recharge the S.P.E.C. 3 LED Curing Light? The charger stand must be plugged into a wall outlet. The LED on the charger stand will flash Green momentarily, and then simply place the S.P.E.C. 3 LED Curing Light in the charger stand. The Charger Stand indicator will turn Orange indicating charge mode. Charging is complete when the indicator changes back to Green constantly. Is it safe to keep the S.P.E.C. 3 LED Curing Light on the charger stand? This is the preferred location to store the S.P.E.C. 3 LED Curing Light between uses. Keeping the light on the charger stand will maintain the maximum charge at all times and will prolong the life of the battery. How do I check the performance of the S.P.E.C. 3 LED Curing Light? A composite Cure Depth Test Block is included with the S.P.E.C. 3 LED Curing Light. See Section 5.5 of the S.P.E.C. 3 LED Curing Light Owners Guide for specific details on how to use the Test Block. 16. How does cure depth vary with Mode and Time using the standard 8mm Turbo-­‐Tip light guide? 3.50 Synergy D6 A2/B2 Depth of Cure (mm) -­‐ 8mm Turbo Tip Light Guide 3.00 2.50 2.00 1.50 1.00 0.50 0.00 3K @ 1 sec 3K @ 2 sec 3K @ 3 sec STD @ 5 sec STD @ 10 sec STD @ 15 sec 17. How does cure depth vary with the 11mm accessory light guide? 3.50 Synergy D6 A2/B2 Depth of Cure -­‐ 11mm Light Guide 3.00 2.50 2.00 1.50 1.00 0.50 0.00 3K @ 1 sec 30944B 3K @ 2 sec 3K @ 3 sec STD @ 5 sec STD @ 10 sec STD @ 15 sec 18. Will the S.P.E.C. 3’s fast cure time save my practice money? S.P.E.C. 3 Saves Chair-­‐time with Every Cure LED Curing Light
Coltene S.P.E.C. 3 LED - 3K Mode
Coltolux LED
Ultradent Valo Cordless -Standard Power Mode
Ultradent Valo Cordless -High Power Mode
Ultradent Valo Cordless -Xtra Power Mode
3M Elipar S10
2 mm
Composite
Curing
Test*
1 seconds
10 seconds
5 seconds
4 seconds
3 seconds
10 seconds
Extra Cost in
Chair time
per
Restoration
$ $ 1.98
$ 0.88
$ 0.66
$ 0.44
$ 1.98
Cost Savings per
year with a
Coltene S.P.E.C. 3
-­‐ $ 2,020 $ 898 $ 673 $ 449 $ 2,020 **Using an average of $400 per hour chair time**
**Assuming (20) 2mm composite cures per week and a double exposure to ensure a complete cure**
*Internal Testing using Synergy D6, Shade A2/B2
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30944B How does light output vary with the 11mm accessory light guide? Due to efficiencies in the straight light guide vs. the turbo tip, the light energy (mW) emitted from the accessory light guide will be approximately 1-­‐5% greater than the standard guide. When considering the 85% larger surface area of the accessory light guide, the power density (mW/cm2) will be reduced by approximately 43%, compared to the claimed light output of the S.P.E.C. 3. The expected light output range for the 11 mm accessory light guide is: • Standard Mode: 900 mW/cm2 +/-­‐ 10% • 3K Mode: 1800 mW/cm2 +/-­‐ 10% What does it mean with the display flashes alternately between green and orange? If the surface temperature of the housing exceeds 45°C, the automatic cool-­‐down protection mode will activate. Place the handpiece into the charger base and allow the light to cool for 5 minutes. What does it mean when the orange LED’s on the display flash and the light will not initiate a cure cycle? The battery level is critical. The S.P.E.C.3 must be fully recharged. This process will take 2 – 3 hours. How do I disinfect the S.P.E.C.3? Standard quaternary/alcohol blend disinfection wipes can be used to disinfect the handpiece after use. Cleaning agents that should not be used are: Glutaraldehyde’s, Denatured Alcohol, Lysol®, Phenol or Phenolic cleaners, Ammonia complex, Iodine complex solutions. The full cleaning and sterilization instructions are outlined in Section VII of the instructions for use. Is the blue light emitted from the sides of the clear light guide dangerous? The light emitted from the sides of the clear light guide is at a very low intensity level and is safe to look at. Light Shields and/or eye protection are always recommended when using an LED Curing Light. It is never recommended to look directly into the emitting LED diodes of a curing light, even with eye protection. At a high enough intensity, all light sources have the potential to be harmful to both the skin and eyes. 24. Will the high output of the S.P.E.C. 3’s 3K mode increase either Shrinkage or Stress in the restoration? Composite shrinkage is highly dependent on the composite material properties and not directly related to the curing rate. The rate of cure can impact internal stress, but there are things the Dr can do to reduce stress regardless of the amount of energy applied (Ex. wedging, layering with 2mm increments). If the concern remains, the Doctor always has the option to use standard mode. 25. Will the S.P.E.C. 3’s high output cause pulpal damage? All Curing Lights can cause a temperature rise in the tooth. Care should be taken when using 3K mode in deep cavities where the dentin tissue is less than 0.5mm or with bonding agents. Flowable composites have been found to exhibit higher exothermic temperature rises during polymerization (temperature rise due to the chemical reaction during hardening) than non-­‐
flowable materials. This can be attributed to the higher resin contents. We recommend reducing the impact of the temperature rise by applying a steady stream of air to the tooth during curing. 26. I tried to cure a bonding agent with my new LED Curing Light and it failed to polymerize? What happened? Light-­‐emitting diode (LED) Curing Lights have a narrow spectral emission of light and may not polymerize all dental materials. Conventional halogen lights have a much wider emission spectrum and do not have this restriction. The typical LED Curing Light produces light in a very narrow wavelength with peaks around 440 to 470 nanometers (nm), depending on the brand. This is ideal for the most common photo initiator, Camphorquinone (CQ), which has an absorption peak around 468 nm, but is less effective for other photo initiators that have peaks below 440 nm, such as phenyl-­‐propanedione (PPD). Camphorquinone is yellow in color. New photo initiators were developed to provide a less yellow intensity to the composite restoration, especially for translucent shades. Fortunately there are only a few products that use photo initiators other than CQ. 27. What materials require a ‘broad spectrum’ Curing Light? Restorative composites • None Found Adhesives/Cements • Touch & Bond -­‐ Parkell • Principle – Dentsply Caulk Light-­‐curing protective varnishes • Luxaglaze -­‐ DMG • Palaseal -­‐ Heraeus Kulzer • Stern Vantage Varnish LC -­‐ Sterngold 30944B • LLC Quik glaze -­‐ All Dental Prodx • ProSeal – Reliance Orthodontic Products 28. What does S.P.E.C. 3 mean? Special Plasma Emulated Curing 3 modes of curing 29. What is the difference between Plasma Arc and LED Curing Lights? Dental plasma Curing Lights also referred to as plasma arc curing (PAC) lights are used for curing resin-­‐based composites and bleaching teeth. PAC units generate the light from a bulb that contains xenon gas. When voltage is applied to the bulb, the gas ionizes forming plasma which emits white light. This light is transmitted from the base unit, through a filter and to the handpiece via a fiber optic cable. An example of a PAC light is the DenMat Sapphire Plus. PAC light manufactures claim very high light output levels allowing an above average depth of cure with less than 5 second curing times. LED based Curing Lights use light-­‐emitting diodes (LEDs) as their light source. This technology has several advantages compared to PAC or Halogen based Curing Lights such as: • LED units require less power to operate allowing them to be powered with rechargeable batteries • LED’s have and extended life. At most, PAC lamp bulbs last a few hundred hours or so, while an LED can last tens of thousands of hours. • Unlike halogen bulbs and their filters and reflectors, LEDs do not degrade over time, so the light they produce is constant in intensity • LED lights produce less heat, so there is less potential for gingival and pulpal irritation. • LED Curing Lights are typically cheaper than PAC lights 30. Why is the S.P.E.C. 3 made in Korea and not in the USA? Coltene partnered with a company which has an advanced battery cell technology which helps provide the powerful output, small size and light weight. Though the final product is assembled at our partners’ facility in Asia, the S.P.E.C 3 was developed by Coltene. 30944B