Patent ID: 6200134
Filing Date: 2001-03-13
Classification: A61C,A61N,B29C,G02B,Y10S

Abstract:
An assembly for dental work in the mouth of a patient comprising:a light-curable dental compound adapted to be located in the mouth of a patient, the compound being curable with light of a specified wavelength;a hand-held dental instrument including a housing with an operator grippable section and a light emitting section, the light emitting section configured for being positionable within the mouth of a patient proximate the light-curable compound;a plurality of individual solid state, unpackaged, light-emitting dies, the dies being individually mounted on a substrate supported by the housing to form a collective array on said substrate in the housing, the individual dies each being a semiconductor junction free of an integral package and lens, the array of dies operable for collectively emitting light having wavelengths within a narrow band of wavelengths, said narrow band of wavelengths including said specified wavelength at which the light-curable dental compound is curable;said substrate having electrically conductive elements positioned thereon, said individual dies each being electrically coupled to at least one of said elements for coupling to a power supply to illuminate the dies;a heat sink coupled to the substrate for dissipating heat from the array;a forced air device for directing air to the heat sink for further heat dissipation;a light transmitting device for capturing said light from the array of dies and transmitting a beam of the light out of the housing to the dental compound;whereby the beam may be used to cure the light-curable dental compound in the mouth of a patient.