Unless otherwise noted, the content of this course material is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Copyright 2008, Dr. Stephen Bayne.

The following information is intended to inform and educate and is not a tool for self-diagnosis or a replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional. You should speak to your physician or make an appointment to be seen if you have questions or concerns about this information or your medical condition. You assume all responsibility for use and potential liability associated with any use of the material. Material contains copyrighted content, used in accordance with U.S. law. Copyright holders of content included in this material should contact open.michigan@umich.edu with any questions, corrections, or clarifications regarding the use of content. The Regents of the University of Michigan do not license the use of third party content posted to this site unless such a license is specifically granted in connection with particular content objects. Users of content are responsible for their compliance with applicable law. See http://www.dent.umich.edu/license/ for more information. Mention of specific products in this recording solely represents the opinion of the speaker and does not represent an endorsement by the University of Michigan. Viewer discretion advised: Material may contain medical images that may be disturbing to some viewers.

LABORATORY WAXES

Stephen C. Bayne
University of Michigan School of Dentistry Ann Arbor, Michigan sbayne@umich.edu

OVERVIEW OF DENTAL WAXES

1. Definition of dental wax = thermoplastic molding material that is solid at room temperature.

2. General Composition of Waxes:

a. BASE Wax: (1) Hydrocarbon [eg, PARAFFIN] or ester types; (2) High or low MW

b. MODIFIER Waxes: (1) Hydrocarbon or ester types; (2) High or low MW

c. COLORANT:

BASE AND MODIFIER WAXES

Name: Origin: Composition: Melting (C) Density (20C)

PARAFFIN
CERESIN BEESWAX CANDELILLA CARNAUBA GUM DAMMAR ROSIN

Mineral Hydrocarbon mixture

Mineral Complex hydrocarbons Animal Plant Plant Plant Plant Ester mixture C21 hydrocarbons Hydrocarbon, Ester, Fatty Acid Aromatic resin Aromatic resin acid

50-57
61-78 62-65 68-70 82-86 ca 120 100-150

0.90
0.91-0.92 0.95-0.96 0.95-0.99 0.99-0.999 1.040-1.120 1.08

INLAY WAX = Paraffin + Carnuba + Ceresin + Beeswax + Colorants

CLASSIFICATION OF DENTAL WAXES

INLAY WAX
1. Overview:
a. Objective: Pattern material to accurately represent desired mold space for inlays, onlays, and crowns. b. Requirements for Inlay Waxes: (1) Good adaptation to dies (2) Thermal stability at low temperatures (3) Complete pyrolysis at high temperatures 2. Inlay Wax Composition: a. b. c. d. e. 60% Paraffin Wax 25% Carnuba Wax 10% Ceresin 5% Beeswax <1% Colorants = BASE Wax = MODIFIER Wax = MODIFIER Wax = MODIFIER Wax = COLORANT

Physical Properties Melting Range

INLAY WAX
LIQUID

TEMPERATURE (C)

90 80 70 60

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

LIQUID + SOLID

50
40

Melting Onset (Solidus)

30

20
25

SOLID
50 75 100

Paraffin

COMPOSITION (%)
Image and graph source: Steve Bayne, University of Michigan, 2008

Carnuba

Physical Properties Thermal Expansion of Components

KERR HARD WAX

INLAY WAX
250 ppm/C

1.2

EXPANSION (%)

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0 0 25 30 35 40 45 50

TEMPERATURE (C)
Graph source: Steve Bayne, University of Michigan, 2008

INLAY WAX
Mechanical Properties and Chemical Properties
Mechanical Properties: Flow < 1% Ductility = moderate Residual Stress = none

Chemical Properties:
Homogeneity = good Contact Angle = low Oxidation = complete