Valo cordless – the cordless curing light by Ultradent

VALO Cordless is the new LED curing light by Ultradent. It's the cordless version of the well-known VALO. I received a demo unit from Ultradent Hellas whom I would like to thank for their trust in my critique.

External Characteristics

The shape of the Valo reminds me of an electric toothbrush and the small head of the device reminds me of the brush of the electric toothbrush.

The logic behind the device is simple and is easily understood. The VALO has access wherever a toothbrush has access… in other words everywhere!

The inside of the device is constructed of aluminum with a sapphire-hard coating and Teflon seal. This construction not only helps in the dissipation of heat but also reinforces the durability of the device as far as falling on the floor or scratching is concerned. Its anti-stick surface with Teflon helps prevent dental materials from bonding permanently to the device. 

Recharging the batteries is achieved externally with a charger. Given the 2 sets of rechargeable batteries that are included, we can be sure that we will never have a problem with the power during the day an obvious advantage in comparison to other cordless lights in the market. Detachable batteries are an advantage for all cordless devices since it's the part of the device that wears out most over time. With the VALO, replacing the batteries is very easy, just like changing batteries in a flashlight. 

 The VALO has only 2 buttons. One button is to start/stop the device and the other is to choose the program.

 The VALO has 2 rows of light indicators. One represents the selected program and warns us in the event of a problem and the other represents the curing time that has been selected.

Programs

The VALO offers 3 programs according to the intensity of the light. Standard power is at 1000mW/cm² (10 sec per layer), High power at 1400 mW/cm² (4 sec per layer) and Xtra power at 3200mW/cm² (3 sec per layer). Changing the program can easily be done by pressing (and holding) the button down for a couple of seconds, while changing the time is achieved by pressing the same button.

But how can such a small device reach 3200mW/cm², the reason I purchased the bulky Master Light in the first place?

LED vs Tungsten (wolfram)

The secret lies in the different way that that light is produced. Older curing lights had lamps that contained tungsten using a thin metallic strand wound in coils. Electricity passes through the strand and forces it to illuminate because of heat. Over-heating of the strand causes it to burn meaning that the more intensity we need, the more it needs to be cooled. All curing lights using such lamps need a cooling system (i.e., the fan).

EMS decided to be innovative and 'pressurize' the 340W halogen light even more, by bringing to the market the first curing light, Swiss Master Light, which uses a closed water circuit as a cooling system. This includes pipes that go around the lamp, a water pump and a water container. The water that runs through the pipes absorbs the heat and in this way the device can produce a very high intensity without burning out the lamp. 

 The light that is produced will pass through filters, so that it will deliver the desired light beam spectrum. The Master Light has broadened its light beam spectrum from 400 to 510 nm. This was an advantage in comparison with other curing lights, and the first LED lights that were introduced to the market.

Valo on the other hand, uses LED technology (Light Emitting Diode). These are very small lamps which contain a semiconductor which is permeated by electrons. As the electrons are activated and move between the poles, they produce photons, or, light as we know it. In this manner more light is produced with less energy, meaning smaller light bulbs and cooler temperatures.

 Therefore, the Valo is small, without the needing a specialized cooling system.

Moreover, instead of one LED, VALO has 4 LED lights which produce 3 different wavelengths covering a light beam spectrum of 395 to 480 nm making it a broad spectrum LED. Practically, this means that it can correctly cure all dental materials that currently exist in the market.

This needs mentioning as dental companies don't use the same photoinitiators to start the curing of their products.

Most companies use camphorquinone as a photoinitiator in their products. Camphorquinone (CQ) absorbs the energy of light at a light beam spectrum of 400 to 500 nanometers with a peak at 468 nanometers.

As dentistry progresses, new products have been starting to appear with different photoinitiators like phenyl-propanedione (PPD) and Lucirin TPO. One of the primary reasons of replacing camphorquinone is the yellow color it gives to materials. The progress in dentistry and the need for more esthetic materials has led companies to research and come out with different, or combinations of different, photoinitiators.

Different photoinitiators absorb energy from light at different light beam spectrums. For example, TPO requires a light beam spectrum of 400 to 420 nanometers.

Below is a table of the characteristics of some dental materials:

As can be seen from the above table and taking into consideration the future progress of dental materials, we can conclude that in the future we will need different curing lights functioning at different light beam spectrums according to the product of each company.

This need is met today by the company Ultradent with its broad spectrum VALO ensuring the correct curing of our material.

Suggestions for improvement

In my opinion, there is room for improvement as far as ergonomics of the device is concerned and not its function which I believe is perfect.

The head of the Valo does not rotate, so there are two ways to hold the device, as you would a toothbrush. It would be logical, therefore, since there are two ways to hold it, to have a second on/off button on the back side. 

The on/off button is pressed often with the thumb, because pressure is required, while pressing the button with the index finger may cause problems in the stabilization of the device when curing the facial surfaces of posterior teeth.

For safety reasons I would prefer to have an alternative way of charging the batteries which are in use. One solution would be having a port like a mini-usb on the base of the light and a corresponding socket on a base like an electric toothbrush on the same external charger. This way we would be certain that we would never have a problem with batteries even if we forgot to change them.

I would also recommend if there could be a way to be able to control the sound volume. It is very soft especially when the suction is being used.

I would also like it if the sound indication for low battery repeated itself, even when it is in sleep mode.

The Valo Cordless is undoubtedly a superior curing light, with a low relative cost in relation to the ease it offers to a dentist's daily practice. Besides that, it is no wonder that it is a top product having been awarded with 5 stars from REALITY. If you require a new curing light, I strongly recommend that you try it.

Dimitris Tsanaktsidis.DMD