Advertorial: Bluephase Style Black Edition: Review by Dr Minesh Patel

Ivoclar Vivadent’s Bluephase Style has been launched in a sleek and stylish matte black finish. These best-selling curing lights have an output of 1,200 mW/cm2 and a Polywave LED that optimally cures all types of dental photo-initiators and materials. They’re used in numerous clinical studies as well as being ranked top by independent and renowned test institutes.

Cosmetic dentist Dr Minesh Patel has recently been experimenting with the Bluephase Style Black Edition. We visited his private practice in Thames Ditton to hear what he has to say about the popular curing light.

What have you liked about the Bluephase Style?

In particular, I’ve been impressed with the general ergonomics and style of the unit. It has an easy-to-hold handle, and my nurses found it very comfortable to use. Also, the style and length of the curing tip is ideal—it’s around 10mm, which is great for getting to those posterior teeth and interproximal regions—and the curve of the light handle itself is ideally suited to reaching the back of the mouth. Another good thing about it is the multiple curing modes: You can have a 10-second, 15-second, 20-second and 30-second, so this is quite useful when doing quick-tack curing of e.max bonded restorations or your final increments of your posterior composite.

What results have you experienced since using the light?

I have done a few tests on Typodont teeth where I’ve actually tested the surface hardness after curing with this light compared with the one I used before, and it was surprising to see that even on the 10-second cure you could feel an increase in surface hardness of the restoration.

Another thing I liked about the design was the ability to use it as a wired mode, because often we work in a practice with multiple different dentists and sometimes the unit might not be fully charged, so if this is the case you can unclip the battery and then plug the light directly into the mains power point and use it through that port as well, which can be quite handy.

How would you compare the Bluephase Style to other curing lights?

I’ve used similar types of light-curing units in the past and what I found with this unit is that it doesn’t overheat.

I’ve had a similar type of unit before and when I was using it constantly throughout the day, sometimes it did short-circuit because it was overheating. But so far, using this unit constantly day to day, it’s been performing pretty well with no loss in intensity and no loss in battery life.

What would you say to someone who was considering purchasing a Bluephase Style?

When buying a new curing light, think of it as an investment. We’re using this piece of kit day-in and day-out, so you must think about the benefits it has to our patients. There are cheaper units on the market; however, we can’t guarantee that they’re actually curing the composite as well as stated. With this unit, there are a lot of studies showing that it does have a broad spectrum of wavelength and it is a very powerful light, so it is a good investment and my composites will be fully cured after using it.

Dr Minesh Patel graduated with honours from Barts and the London School of Dentistry in 2009. He went on to complete a master’s program in aesthetic dentistry whilst simultaneously completing a postgraduate training program in surgical and prosthetic implantology. Patel has a passion for dentistry that is fuelled by his own creativity and artistic nature, and has provided hands-on postgraduate training courses in the fields of aesthetic dentistry and clinical dental photography.

Patel has been using one of the 999 Bluephase Style Black Edition’s available worldwide. The special unit is priced at £899 and sold exclusively though Henry Schein in the UK and Ireland*.

Dentists can place an advance order for the limited-edition curing-light online while stocks last at bluephaseallblack.com.

* Euro price applies.