Our smiles are viewed in a variety of lighting. The type of light, electric and its various forms, and natural light at its different times of day, make a difference in what is seen. For the most natural and consistent look, natural sunlight (also known as daylight or cool white) is preferred.

Indoor light bulbs started as incandescent with the invention of the light bulb in the late 1800's. Traditional incandescent light bulbs give off a warm yellow glow that was meant to resemble candlelight and gas lights, the type of lighting that people were accustomed to. There was initial opposition to electric lighting due to the cost of running electric lines, wiring homes and businesses, and a general resistance to change. Fluorescent tubes were introduced commercially in the 1940's. The traditional fluorescent tube gives a green color and can also have some background noise. Fluorescent tubes now can be purchased that resemble natural sunlight and incandescent bulbs have been introduced which give off cool light, more closely resembling sunlight. To make incandescent and fluorescent lights closely resemble natural light the bulb or tube has to be coated with a shade adjuster to alter the emitted light. The most recent development in lighting is the light emitting diode (LED). LED's can be in any color without a shade adjuster.

Lighting is an important consideration in dental offices. It can impact the quality of your care. Optimally, dental offices should have lighting that is color corrected to natural sunlight because that is the best way for dentists to match teeth and produce predictable esthetic results. Natural light allows the dentist to communicate with their lab and their patient about desired results. In the treatment areas of the office the lighting should be color corrected to daylight. A new addition to this area of lighting is the overhead patient treatment lights which have been traditionally warm colored but are now being replaced with natural daylight LEDs.

Here are some of the pluses and minuses of incandescent, fluorescent and LED lights that you may consider for home or business:

Most of the comparisons lead to the conclusion to switch to LED lighting. The one big obstacle is purchase cost, however, the cost of LED's has dropped since their emergence into the marketplace and hopefully will continue and their longevity and low power usage make them cost effective over time. If you phase in LED replacements as old bulbs/tubes fail, it will be less of a cost impact. Dr. Robert A. Gallegos is a Fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry, he is on the faculty of Spear Education, a member the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and the American Dental Association. Dr. Gallegos practices dentistry in Middleburg, VA. www.MiddleburgSmiles.com.