PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF DENTAL MATERIALS

CONTENTS:

 INTRODUCTION

 WHAT ARE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES?

 VARIOUS PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

o RHEOLOGY

 Flow-Viscosity

 Structural relaxation – Creep

o OPTICAL PROPERTIES

 Light and its perception

 Dimensions of color – Hue, Chroma, Value

 Color measurement

 Shade guide and selection

 Mesmerism

 Fluorescence

o INTERACTION WITH RADIATION

o THERMAL PROPERTIES

 Thermal conductivity

 Thermal diffusivity

o ELECTROCHEMICAL PROPERTIES

 Tarnish

 Corrosion

o MAGNETIC PROPERTIES.

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o OTHERS

o CONCLUSION

o REFERENCES

I) INTRODUCTION:

 Material science explains the properties and performance of materials by

examining their internal structure.

 The knowledge of properties of the materials used in dental practice is

essential for the following reasons-

o To understand the effects of manufacturing processes on the

behavior of the materials.

o To help selection of a good prosthetic material that can withstand

the adverse oral environment.

o To maximize the performance of the material.

 The properties of Dental materials depend on the interaction between the

atoms they are made of and their interaction with the surroundings.

 The properties of Dental materials are studied under

o Physical properties

o Mechanical properties

o Chemical properties

o Biological properties

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II) PHYSICAL PROPERTIES:

 Physical properties are based on the

o Laws of physics and mechanics

o Acoustics

o Optics

o Thermodynamics

o Electric and Magnetic interaction

 They are measured without changing the composition of the matter.

 Physical properties describe mass, energy, force, light, heat, electricity

and other physical phenomena of the dental materials.

III) RHEOLOGY:

 DEFINITION: Rheology is the study of Deformation and Flow

characteristics of matter [solid/ liquid].

 Rheology can be studied under

o Flow and Viscosity in liquids

o Structural Relaxation and Creep in solids

 FLOW- VISCOSITY:

 DEFINITION: Viscosity (η) is the resistance of a fluid to flow

 Viscosity is a measure of consistency of the fluid.

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 Fluids at rest have no shear stress but those in motion possess internal

frictional forces that resist forces that cause them to move.

 Based on Shear stress versus shear strain rate, fluids exhibit different

types of rheological behaviors and viscosity can be characterized as

follows –

o Ideal / Newtonion viscosity:

An “ideal” fluid produces: Shear Stress Proportional To The Strain

Rate. Greater the force applied, faster the fluid flows and the plot is

a straight line.

o Pseudoplastic viscosity:

The viscosity of the fluid decreases with increasing strain rate until

it reaches a nearly constant value. That is, the faster they are

stirred, forced through a syringe, or squeezed, the less viscous

and more fluid they become.

o Dilatant:

It is the opposite of pseudoplastic and the material becomes more

rigid as rate of deformation increases. [shear strain rate]. That is,

the faster they are stirred, etc., the more viscous and resistant to

flow they become.

o Plastic:

Some classes of materials behave like a rigid body until some

minimum value of shear stress is reached. This is represented by

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the offset along the shear-stress axis.These fluids, which exhibit

rigid behavior initially and then attain a constant viscosity

 APPLIED ASPECTS:

o Handling of dental materials for prosthodontic purpose is mostly done

in a fluid state and proper manipulation determines the performance

properties of it as a solid.

o Impression materials have an INTRAORAL FLUID → SOLID

TRANSFORMATION

o Dies and gypsum products have an EXTRAORAL FLUID → SOLID

TRANSFORMATION.

o Amorphous materials like waxes and resins are solidified,

supercooled liquids which can flow plastically under load and

temperature or flow elastically under small stress

 THIXOTROPHY- This is a behavior of material where repeated

pressure leads to low viscosity of the material.In prosthodontic

procedures, this helps the impression material to stay confined to the

tray and flow only when in contact with the dental tissue. Gives more

working time to the clinician

E.g., Elastomeric impression material which when passed through the

syringe tip has low viscosity and high flow.

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 STRUCTURAL RELAXATION:

After a substance is permanently deformed (plastic deformation),

there are trapped internal stresses. The displaced atoms are not in

equilibrium positions and are unstable. Solid-state diffusion process driven

by thermal energy, the atoms can slowly return to their equilibrium positions.

Change in the shape or contour of the solid occurs as the atoms or

molecules change positions. The material warps or distorts.

 APPLIED ASPECTS:

o Many non-crystalline dental materials (such as waxes, resins, and gels) that,

when manipulated and cooled, undergo relaxation (with consequent

distortion) at an elevated temperature.

o Such dimensional changes by relaxation may result in an inaccurate fit of

dental appliances.

 CREEP:

DEFINITION: Creep can be defined as a time- dependant plastic

strain of a material under static load or constant stress. As flow is for

fluids creep is the distortion of solids. It is of 2 types: Static and

Dynamic creep.

 APPLIED ASPECTS:

o Creep is unacceptable for a fixed dental prosthesis.

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o Sag is a form of creep that occurs in a metal at high temperatures

under its own weight.

o Sag is seen as permanent deformation in long-span metal bridges due

to greater flexural stress and greater flexural creep.

o Metals used in dentistry for cast restorations or substrates for porcelain

veneers have melting points (for pure metals) or melting ranges (for

alloys) that are much higher than mouth temperatures. Hence they are

not susceptible to creep deformation intraorally.

o However, some alloys used for metal-ceramic prostheses can creep.

IV) OPTICAL PROPERTIES:

Light is an electro- magnetic radiation. The human eye is sensitive to light

which is 400nm of wavelength (VIOLET) to 700 nm of wavelength (DARK RED).

An object of certain color absorbs all light waves (incident light) corresponding to

other colors and reflects only the waves of its color (reflected light).

Light from an object that is incident on the eye is focused on the cone-

shaped cells in the retina and is converted into nerve impulses, which are

transmitted to the brain and processed to produce psycho-physiological

perception of color. These cells have a threshold intensity required for color

vision and respond to wavelength. Involvement of neural response, constant

stimulation by single color may results in color fatigue and decreased eye’s

response.

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 APPLIED ASPECTS:

o According Grassmann’s laws, the three Dimensions Of Color are

Dominant Wavelength- Hue, Luminous Reflectance- Value, and

Excitation Purity-Chroma.

HUE: It is the dominant color of an object (eg Red, Blue and Green), that is the

dominant wavelength.

VALUE: It gives the lightness [high value] or darkness [low value]. It represents

the grayscale, ranging from black to white for light-diffusing objects and from

black to perfectly clear for transmitting objects.

CHROMA: Chroma is the degree of saturation of a particular hue. Eg; For the

colour RED: PINK is low chroma/ dull and SCARLET RED is high chroma/

intense.

 COLOR MEASUREMENT:

o INTERNATIONALE DE L’ECLAIRAGE (CIE).:The CIELAB color

system is used almost exclusively for color research in dentistry

around the world.

o L*a*b* color space, in which L* represents the value of an object, a* is

the measurement along the red-green axis, and b* is the measurement

along the yellow-blue axis.

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o MUNSELL SYSTEM - the most commonly used method. It is a

coordinate system which can be viewed as a cylinder. The hues are

arranged sequentially around the perimeter of cylinder while chroma

increases along a radius from the axis. The values coordinate varies

along length of cylinder from black at the bottom to neutral grey at the

centre to white at top.

 FACTORS EFFECTING LIGHT PERCEPTION:

o The property of light and color is associated with esthetic dentistry

while prosthetic rehabilitation of dental tissues .

o Dental tissues which are opaque absorb 100% of light and transmit

none and those that are translucent absorb 20- 50% such as enamel,

whereas transparent objects transmit100% of light and absorb none.

o OBSERVER: Psychological perception of observer depends on low/

high light level, fatigue of color receptors, sex, age, memory.

o LIGHT : low light levels---the rods in the retina are more dominant----

color perception is LOW

o As the brightness becomes more intense, color appears to change

(Bezold-Brucke effect).

 SHADE SELECTION:

o A shade guide is a tab used to match and select color of ceramic

veneers, crowns and restorations.

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o They are grouped according to hue

A = Red - Brown C = Gray

B = Red – Yellow D = Red – Gray

o Commercial shade guides:

o VITA Classic- Letter is hue and number denotes value [A1, D2 etc]

o VITAPAN 3D Master

o EXTENDED RANGE SHADE

 METAMERISM:

o Phenomenon in which the color of an object under one type of light appears to

change when illuminated by different light source. Whenever possible, shade

matching should be done in conditions where most of the patient’s activities will

occur

 FLOURESENCE:

o It is the emission of luminous energy by a material when a beam of light is shone

on it. The wavelength of the emitted light usually is longer than that of the

exciting radiation.

o The tooth after it absorbs light 300-400nm becomes a source of longer

wavelength 400-450 nm

o Fluorescence gives a tooth a vital appearance, and lack of it might cause a dark

appearance.

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V) INTERACTION WITH RADIATION:

 Interaction of a prosthesis with X rays is an optical property

 High atomic number--- High X ray absorption--- High contrast

 Helps to check marginal fit, differentiate between tooth and restoration

and location during accidental aspiration of denture

 Composites and acrylics due to low atomic no. are less radiopaque

compared to high atomic no. metals. Some resins are reinforced with

Strontium or Barium

VI) THERMAL PROPERTIES:

 For a prosthesis the following thermal properties are important

Thermal conductivity

Thermal diffusivity

Coefficient of thermal expansion

 Other thermal properties are

Heat of fusion and vaporization

Specific heat and heat capacity

 THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY:

It is defined as the quantity of heat in calories per second passing through a material

of cm thick with a cross section of 1 cm having a temperature difference of l K (1 °C)

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and is measured under steady-state conditions in which the temperature gradient

does not change. The International System (SI) unit IS Watts per meter per kelvin

(W × m−1 × K−1).

 COEFFICIENT OF THERMAL EXPANSION:

The change in length per unit length of a material for a 1°C change in temperature is

called the linear coefficient of thermal expansion,α.

o This property influences procedures involving wax patterns, cast metals, metal

ceramic crowns and bridges.

o When a crown or inlay expands more or less compared to the tooth it leads to

micro leakage and debonding. The high thermal expansion coefficient of inlay

wax is important.

o An accurate wax pattern that fits a prepared tooth contracts when it is removed

from the tooth or a die in a warmer area and then stored in a cooler area.

o Denture teeth that have been set in base plate wax in a relatively warm

laboratory may shift in their simulated intraoral positions after the denture base is

moved to a cooler room before the processing of a denture

o A porcelain veneer fired to a metal substrate (coping) may contract to a greater

extent than the metal during cooling and induce tangential tensile stresses in the

porcelain, which may cause immediate or delayed crack formation.

 OTHER THERMAL PROPERTIES:

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o The HEAT CAPACITY of a material is a measure of the amount of thermal

energy that a material can hoard. Some materials require more energy than

others to heat.

o The SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY of a material is the amount of energy needed

to raise the temperature of one unit of mass of that material by 1°C. Specific

heat capacity is measured as cal/g · deg.

o The specific heat of the metal or alloy is important during casting to know the

total amount of heat that must be applied to the mass to raise the temperature to

the melting point.

o The HEAT OF FUSION is the amount of thermal energy required to melt a

material.

o The HEAT OF VAPORIZATION is the thermal amount of energy required to boil

a material.

VII) ELECTROCHEMICAL PROPERTIES:

o TARNISH is the surface discoloration of a metal or it is loss of surface finish

and luster

o It is a precursor of corrosion.

o Occurs due to deposits like oxides, sulfides and chlorides.

o CORROSION is an electro chemical process which causes deterioration of

metal due to reaction with oral environment [warm, moist with wide

fluctuations in temperature and pH].

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o Corrosion releases toxic and allergic substances that may affect nearby

tissues.

o ETIOLOGY: Metals and alloys tend to reach their most thermodynamically

stable state by oxidation or reduction process.

o sulfide containing foods, phosphoric acid and lactic acid

o H2O, O2, Cl-1 in saliva

 GALVANIC SHOCK: Two dissimilar metallic restorations with saliva as the

electrolyte may form an electric circuit [Gold crown and Amalgam restoration]. When

both come in contact leads to a short sudden circuit with acute pain.

 HETEROGENOUS SURFACE CORROSION: This occurs in eutectic/ peritectic

commercial dental alloys with heterogeneous surface composition . Area with lower

potential becomes the anode and corrodes.

Egs. Solder joints, Materials with impurities, Contamination during manipulation

 PROTECTION FROM CORROSION :

o Electroplating

o Use more noble metals

o Surface paints

o Metal passivation

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VIII) MAGNETIC PROPERTIES:

 In dentistry, magnetic materials are used that generate a constant field that is

permanent at mouth temperatures. However, heating to relatively modest

temperatures can cause irreversible magnetic loss.

 Magnets embedded in acrylic appliances that, during curing, reach temperatures

of 80 °C to 90 °C from the exothermic setting reaction of the methylmethacrylate

resin

 Within their range of current dental uses, magnets and static magnetic fields

have been found to be biologically safe if the flux is less than 40 mt.

IX) OTHERS:

 DENSITY of a material is the amount of mass in a given volume. (g/cm 3)

Higher atomic no. elements have higher density as atoms are packed. A

cast partial denture due to high density has a tendency to become

unseated if not adapted properly.

 BOILING AND MELTING POINTS are physical properties of materials.

Alloys and amorphous mixtures often have a melting or boiling range

rather than a specific melting or boiling point. Dental waxes are an

example of mixtures with a melting range. Some dental metals melt at

very high temperatures and are very difficult to work with.

 VAPOR PRESSURE is the tendency of a liquid to evaporate into a gas.

Temperature and thermal energy are directly proportional to vapour

pressure. Low vapor pressure materials such as oils do not evaporate

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quickly whereas high vapor pressure alcohol readily evaporates.

APPLICATIONS- High VP materials are used as solvents [e.g.. Varnish,

denture adhesives]

 When the molecules of one substrate adhere or attracted to molecules of

the other substrate, the force of attraction is called Adhesion. The material

that is used to cause bonding is known as the adhesive and the material

to which it is applied is called the adherend.

 SURFACE WETTING is measured by determining the contact angle of

the liquid with the solid. To produce adhesion on any targeted surface, the

liquid must flow easily over the entire surface and adhere to the solid. This

characteristic is known as wetting

X) CONCLUSION:

The criteria for an ideal restorative material are many and varied. The properties

of the replacement material should be significantly similar to the characteristics

of the tooth. Determining what is required and what will best meet the clinical

situation can be achieved only by a thorough knowledge of each dental material

and their properties. This will enhance the treatment quality and outcome.

XI) REFERENCES:

o Powers J, Sakaguchi R. Craigs Restorative Dental Materials 14thed., 142.

Mosby Elsevier, Missoure. 2018.

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o Anusavice, KJ, Shen C, Rawls HR, Phillips’ science of dental mateials. Elsivier

Health Sciences 12th Edi; 2012

o Hickey JC, Zarb GA, BolenderCL. Bouchers Prosthodontic Treatment for

edentulous patients,12th edition

o Stewart, Marcia Clinical aspects of dental materials : theory, practice, and cases

– 4th ed.

o S. Lyon, Corrosion damage – an Overview, Science Direct;2012

o Yuichi Ishida et al, Magnet retained two –mini implant overdenture : clinical and

mechaical consideration. Dent J.2016;4(4): 35

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