Discovering the DISCOVERLIGHT® By: David Burstein, DDS

It’s not often a dental product will ignite the same unabated excitement among patients as the DISCOVERLIGHT does among dental professionals. But then, it’s not often that a 77 year-old dentist with 56 years of dentistry behind him invents a simple, economical, yet elegant instrument to perform one of dentistry’s most basic diagnostic procedures– transillumination.

A sleek, hip-looking device, the Discoverlight transilluminates dentition and/or the gingiva for the purpose of detecting anything you can’t see at all, or very well, with the naked eye. Fracture lines, caries, subgingival calculus, plaque deposits, internal hemorrhaging of teeth, air bubbles in the cement when seating veneers, and a host of other intraoral problems come to light with a shine from the Discoverlight.

“Dentistry often involves the art of improvisation.”
These frequently repeated words are a guiding principle for Dr. Jimmy Burstein of Toronto (Dr. J, to those who know him best). In July of 2000, frustrated that his own transilluminating light couldn’t be repaired and that a replacement would cost in excess of $1,000, Dr. J knew he would have to find an alternative. First, he turned to his fiber optic handpiece. But the fiber optic light had only a 10-second setting, not long enough to get a good look at anything, and using it was inconvenient. For someone who’d been using transillumination for more than 40 years, Dr. J’s “light bulb” was already burning. “There has to be a better way!” Dr. J emphatically said to his son, Dr. David Burstein (Dr. D), who has shared his father’s practice since 1982. It was no surprise when only a few days later his father arrived at the office with the first primitive Discoverlight prototype.

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David Burnstein, DDS, with his dad, the inventor of the Discoverlight, Dr. Jimmy Burstein of Toronto, Canada

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The light journey
Dr. J knew that many dentists dangerously use their light curing devices for transillumination. But he also recognized that certain components, the wand for example, of the curing light would be ideal for transilluminating. Combining a wand with a less intense light source was the key, he decided.

As for that less intense light source, Dr. J stood before the flashlight display at the local hardware store. His eyes immediately came to rest on one of the best-known and highest quality pen flashlights: the Maglite®.

Dr. J, eagar to resume transillumination as a diagnostic aid in his daily dentistry, initially used common dental materials (i.e. putty!) to secure a wand to the Maglite. It was a design that functioned well, but couldn’t be mass-produced. After several weeks of knocking on the doors of large dental manufacturers and continuing to experiment with designs and materials, another idea came to him. Why not design a wand and a separate adapter that secures the wand to the flashlight with frictional retention? And why not find a mold-maker and just forge ahead himself?

Forge ahead he did. After weeks of legwork, Dr. J settled on a manufacturer capable of producing wands and adapters to meet his design specifications and quality standards. And he didn’t stop there. The ensuing weeks also saw Dr. J finalize agreements with Maglite executives and begin the patenting process for his invention. In November, Dr. J marched into his son’s office once again–this time with the final prototype of an economical instrument he could assemble by himself in minutes.

The light at the end of a rather short tunnel
To Dr. J, this was a short journey to a big discovery. In just five months he’d taken a mere concept to a finished, patent-pending product. With the Maglite agreement sealed and the wands and adapters in production, he was ready to take his transilluminating light to the dental marketplace. At his son’s suggestion, Dr. J approached Peter Jordan, President of Clinician’s Choice™ Dental Products Inc. Jordan liked what he saw, named the product the Discoverlight, and a few months later, brought the light to market.

“The Discoverlight fits our product line well,” says Jordan. “It’s a well-designed instrument that helps clinicians detect seemingly small intraoral problems today, so that they do not become more complex ones tomorrow.”

Clinicians love the look and feel of the Discoverlight, as well as its function. But more than that, they love the price–a mere $69.95. Wow!

To inquire about or purchase the Discoverlight, contact Clinician’s Choice Dental Products at 1-800-265-3444.