DENTAL WAXES
Dr. Dt. Işıl ÖZCAN
Dental waxes are thermoplastic materials which are solids at room
temperature but melt without decomposition to form mobile
liquids.
COMPOSITION OF DENTAL WAXES
The primary components of dental waxes are derived from synthetic
waxes and natural waxes (hydrocarbons of the paraffin and the
microcrystalline groups, carnauba wax, candelilla wax, and resins).
Natural waxes are derived from mineral, vegetable, and animal
origins.
Synthetic waxes are chemically synthesized from natural wax
molecules.
COMPOSITION OF DENTAL WAXES
Most synthetic waxes are more homogeneous than pure natural
waxes.
Coloring agents are added for contrast of wax patterns against tooth,
die, and model surfaces or to provide an ivory-colored or other
natural tooth color as demonstration models used for educating
patients about treatment options.
Some formulations contain a compatible filler to control expansion
and shrinkage of the wax product.
The wide variety of dental waxes can be classified into two
groups, those used primarily in the clinic and those used in
commercial dental laboratories.
Clinical products include
bite registration wax,
disclosing wax (also known as pressure indicating
paste),
utility waxes for altering and adapting impression trays,
and low-melting type I inlay waxes used in the mouth for
direct-waxing processes for pattern production.
Laboratory products include
boxing wax,
baseplate wax,
sticky wax,
beading wax,
utility wax,
and hard, medium, and soft type II inlay-type
waxes for making patterns on patients’ models using
the indirect wax technique.
Type II waxes are required for the lost-wax processing of
cast prostheses and frameworks
CLASSIFICATION of DENTAL WAXES
PATTERN WAXES :
1. Inlay wax
2. Casting wax
3. Base plate wax
4. Wax rim
5. Shellac denture base
PROCESSING WAX:
1. Sticky wax
2. Utility wax
3. Block-out wax
4. Boxing & beading wax
IMPRESSION WAX:
1. Corrective wax
2. Bite registration
TYPES OF INLAY WAXES Pattern Waxes
Inlay waxes are used to prepare patterns. These patterns are reproduced in
gold via a casting process and in ceramic by hot-isostatic-pressing procedures.
For direct wax techniques type I inlay wax must soften at a temperature
that is not hazardous to the pulp tissue, and it must harden at a temperature
above mouth temperature. The colors of inlay waxes should contrast with the
hues of teeth and dies.
TYPES OF INLAY WAXES Pattern Waxes
Inlay waxes are used to prepare patterns. These patterns are reproduced in
gold via a casting process and in ceramic by hot-isostatic-pressing procedures.
For direct wax techniques type I inlay wax must soften at a temperature
that is not hazardous to the pulp tissue, and it must harden at a temperature
above mouth temperature. The colors of inlay waxes should contrast with the
hues of teeth and dies.
The first procedure in the casting of an inlay or crown for the lost-wax process is
the preparation of a dental wax pattern. The cavity is prepared in the tooth and
the pattern is carved directly on a die that is a reproduction of the prepared
tooth and dental tissues (indirect technique).
The direct technique for producing wax inlay patterns within prepared teeth is
rarely used because of the wax’s sensitivity to changes in pressure,
temperature, and heating and cooling rates during manipulation.
A wax pattern made in the mouth (direct technique) will shrink appreciably as it
is cooled to room temperature. A pattern made by the indirect method may not
shrink as much, although the amount depends on whether or not the pattern is
allowed to reach room temperature before it is removed from the die.
Lost-wax technique. A wax pattern of the restoration is made on a die with a pattern wax (usually inlay wax). A sprue, sprue
base, and casting ring are added, and then the sprue and pattern are invested (filled) with a gypsum-based material. After the
investment sets, the base of the sprue holder is removed, and the invested pattern and sprue are placed into an oven to burn out
the wax (hence the name “lost wax”). Once the wax is burned out, a space remains where the sprue and wax pattern were. The
molten metal is cast into this space.
Type I is a medium wax employed in direct techniques and type II is a soft
wax used in the indirect techniques.
Before the adaptation of the wax pattern within a tooth or a die, a separating
medium must be used to ensure the complete separation of the wax pattern
without distortion. After the pattern is removed from the prepared cavity, it
is encased in a gypsum or phosphate-based material or other type of
refractory material known as an investment. This process is called investing
the pattern.
Inlay wax
Casting wax
It is a type of pattern wax.
Used to produce the metallic component of partial denture on the
cast. Class I Class II Class III
Baseplate wax
Baseplate wax is used to establish the initial arch form in
the construction of complete dentures.
The harder the wax, the less the flow at a given
temperature. The difference in flow of the three types
may be advantageous for a particular application. Type I,
a soft wax, is used for building veneers.
Type II, a medium wax, is designed for patterns to be
placed in the mouth in normal climatic conditions.
Type III, a hard wax, is used for trial fitting in the mouth
in tropical climates. Because residual stress is present
within the wax from contouring and manipulating the wax,
the finished denture pattern should be flasked as soon as
possible after completion of all adjustments and
manipulations.
Wax rim (Bite rim)
Wax rims are used for recording the postural position of the mandible in
relation to the maxilla so that we can arrange the denture teeth in their
correct occlusal relationship.
Properly contoured wax rims are used as aid in developing proper
contour of the lips and cheeks, developing the plane of occlusion and
determining the proper position of the incisal edges of the maxillary
anterior teeth.
Wax rim
Shellac denture base
Wax like resin stable at mouth temperature.
It has high softening temperature than other waxes.
It used as a temporary denture base.
CLASSIFICATION of DENTAL WAXES
PATTERN WAXES :
1. Inlay wax
2. Casting wax
3. Base plate wax
4. Wax rim
5. Shellac denture base
PROCESSING WAX:
1. Sticky wax
2. Utility wax
3. Block-out wax
4. Boxing & beading wax
IMPRESSION WAX:
1. Corrective wax
2. Bite registration
Sticky wax
PROCESSING WAX
Other types of dental waxes include sticky wax, an orange colored stick wax,
which is tacky when melted but firm and brittle when cooled.
Sticky waxes are used to temporarily fasten gypsum model components, join
and temporarily stabilize the components of a bridge before soldering, or
attach pieces of a broken denture prior to a repair.
Utility wax PROCESSING WAX
Utility wax is used for protecting and preserving the
periphery edge in removable prosthetics.
The application of utility wax on the impression tray allows
a perfect transfer of the periphery edge from the
impression onto the model.
The wax can be adapted at room temperature and can be
used without preheating.
Block-out wax PROCESSING WAX
Used for filling the undercut area on the cast during processing of the Cr-Co framework.
Boxing wax
Boxing wax is another useful material
for enclosing an impression before the
plaster or stone cast is poured.
Typically provided in pink-colored flat
sheets, this wax is relatively soft and
pliable and can easily be pressed to the
desired contour around the perimeter
of an impression and self sealed at the
overlapped area with firm pressure.
Boxing wax
Beading wax is adapted around the
impression borders to create the land area
of the cast.
Boxing wax is used to build up vertical walls
around the impression in order to pour the
gypsum product to make a cast base.
CLASSIFICATION of DENTAL WAXES
PATTERN WAXES :
1. Inlay wax
2. Casting wax
3. Base plate wax
4. Wax rim
5. Shellac denture base
PROCESSING WAX:
1. Sticky wax
2. Utility wax
3. Block-out wax
4. Boxing & beading wax
IMPRESSION WAX:
1. Corrective wax
2. Bite registration
Impression waxes
The impression waxes, also referred to as bite waxes or
corrective waxes, tend to distort if they are withdrawn from
undercut areas.
Thus, they are limited to use in edentulous sites of the mouth or
in occlusal surface areas.
Carving wax and presentation wax
Carving wax and presentation wax are used for demonstration purposes. Such
waxes contain synthetic and polymeric materials with additives such as fillers
and coloring agents.
Ivory-colored wax is useful for aesthetic
case presentations to patients. If applied as
a veneer in a sufficient thickness, its
opacity must be sufficient to mask colored
die stones.
1) The wax should be uniform when softened.
2) The color should contrast with die materials or
prepared teeth.
DESIRABLE 3) The wax should not fragment into flakes or similar
surface particles when it is molded after softening.
PROPERTIES OF 4) Once the wax pattern has solidified, it is necessary to
WAX carve the original tooth anatomy and the margins so
that the pattern conforms precisely to the surface of
the die. The wax must not be pulled away by the
carving instrument or chip as it is carved or such
precision cannot be achieved.
DESIRABLE
PROPERTIES OF WAX
5) For lost-wax casting of metals, an investment mold is
formed around a wax pattern. After the mold containing
the wax pattern has been formed, the wax must be
eliminated from the mold. Elimination of the sprued
wax pattern is usually accomplished by heating the
mold to melt and ignite the wax.
If the wax leaves a residue or an impervious coating on
the walls of the mold, the cast metal inlay may be
adversely affected. Consequently, the wax should burn
out completely by oxidizing residual carbon to volatile
gases.
WAX DISTORTION
Distortion of wax patterns is the most serious problem one can experience in
forming and removing the pattern from a tooth or die. Distortion of a wax
pattern results from occluded air in the pattern, physical deformation (during
molding, carving, or removal), release of stresses “trapped” during previous
cooling, excessive storage time, and extreme temperature changes during
storage.
Like other thermoplastics, waxes tend to return partially to their original
shape after manipulation. This is known as elastic memory.
When the wax is bent into a horseshoe, the
inner molecules are under compression and
the outer ones are in tension. Once the
stresses are gradually relieved at room
temperature, the wax tends to recover its
elastic strain.
