Smile Line USA K-Lite lamp makes “invisible visible”

Smile Line K-Lite lamp.

Modern dental composites and adhesives contain fluorophores which help in producing better esthetic results. This gives them a fluorescent property, and
under certain wavelengths of illumination (UV-A 395 to 400nm), these materials can be distinguished from tooth tissue. The risk of iatrogenic tooth damage is significantly reduced when they need to be removed, and this can be achieved with the help of Smile Line’s K-Lite.

The K-Lite lamp is a ground-breaking dental device that allows:

1. The removal of excess or unwanted dental materials such as composites or adhesives. Some of the examples include orthodontic brackets, attachments, and retainers, residual cements, etc.

2. Its use in dental trauma (splint) and/or in the so-called Fluorescence-assisted Identification Technique (FIT).

These two objectives were the motivation for the development of the new lamp K-Lite in cooperation with the company Smile Line SA (Switzerland).

3. It can assist in the identification of certain bacterial byproducts found in plaque, calculus, and in infected dentine.

K-Lite was developed and designed by Dr. Katherine Losada.

Benefits include:

• Easy and fast use
• Dual UV and Daylight LEDs
• Portable/No cable
• Easy to handle/Lightweight

Smile Line designed a dual portable flashlight guided by a glass fiber optic, which consists of:

• a White LED (6000 °K) for translumination (i.e. visualization of opalescence, crack lines, and fractures).
• a UV-A LED (violet light) that, when directed onto composites or adhesives with fluorescent components, calculus or plaque, it makes them easier to detect. This way, it helps the clinician to precisely remove them avoiding iatrogenic damage to the healthy underlying tissues.

The aim of minimally invasive dentistry is to preserve as much of the sound tooth tissue as possible. Studies have shown that while clinicians are careful in removing excess or unwanted dental materials from tooth tissue, with little guidance this could lead to either excess tooth tissue removal and/or the retention of unwanted dental material.

The K-Lite, backed by clinical trials, is described as a high-quality, efficient, effective, and affordable solution to the problems outlined above.

K-Lite was developed and designed by Dr. Katherine Losada. Visit smilelineusa.com for more information.