WAXES IN DENTISTRY

PRESENTED BY: Dr. Pragya Saran

 CONTENTS
O Definition
O History
O Uses
O Requirements
O Classification
O Properties
O Natural waxes
O Synthetic waxes
O Conclusion
O References
 Definition
O Waxes are thermoplastic materials
which are solid at room temperature
but melt without decomposition to
form mobile liquids.
 History
O Matthaeus Gottfried Purmann in
1700 - used wax as models for prosthodontic
purposes.
1711 – was first to use bee wax as impression
material
1935 - first synthetic liquid paraffins were
produced according to the Fischer-Trop’s
procedure.
First inlay in dentistry is credited to “John murphy”
of London, who was fabricating porcelain inlay in
1855.
USES
 Requirements
O Must conform to the exact size and shape
and contour of the appliance which is to be
made.

O No dimensional changes should take place

once it is formed
 Classification
Acc. to origin
Natural Synthetic Additives
waxes waxes

Mineral Acrawax C Stearic acid

Plant Aerosol O T Oils
Insect Castorwax Colorants
Animal Aldo 33 Resins
 NATURAL WAXES
MINERAL WAXES PLANT WAX INSECT WAX ANIMAL WAX

PARAFFIN CARNAUBA BEES WAX SPERMACETI

MICROCRYSTALLINE OURICURY

BARNSDAHL CANDELILLA

OZOKERITE JAPAN WAX

CERESIN COCOA BUTTER

MONTAN
 ACCORDING TO USE/APPICATION:

PATTERN PROCESSING IMPRESSION

• INLAY • BOXING • CORRECTIVE

• CASTING • UTILITY • BITE
• BASEPLATE • STICKY
Properties of dental waxes
 MELTING RANGE
O Waxes consist of several types of molecules
, each having a range of molecular weights
O Hence they have melting ranges rather than
melting points
O M.R. of paraffin:44-620C
O M.R. of carnauba:50-900C
 Thermal expansion
O Expand when temp. is risen
O Contract when temp. is decreased
O Dental waxes have the largest coefficient of
thermal expansion.
O Temp. change in wax patterns may be a
major contributing factor in inaccuracy of
the finished restoration
O Mineral waxes have higher coefficients of
linear thermal expansion than plant wax
O Different waxes have different rates and
amount of thermal expansion
O Some exhibit different rates of expansion in
different temperature range
Solid-solid transition temperature: (Tg)

O In waxes at this temperature, transition

from a stable crystal lattice (orthorhombic)
to hexagonal form occurs which is present
below the melting point of wax and thus it
allows the wax to be manipulated easily
without flaking or tearing .
O Wax is soft (not melted ) at this
temperature.
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
O The elastic modulus
O Proportional limit and
O Compressive strength

of waxes are low compare with those of other

materials
Elastic modulus of
carnauba wax
decreased from 1790
to 760 Mpa from 23 C
to 37 C

Paraffin wax showed

on sharp decrease in
modulus from 310 to 28
MPa between 23 C and
30 C
Inlay wax which
simulates a mixture of
75% paraffin and 25%
carnauba has
intermediate changes in
modulus of 760 to 48
MPa between 23 C and
40 C.
 FLOW
O Change of shape or dimension in response
to applied force
O Caused by slippage of long chained wax
molecules over each other
 RESIDUAL STRESS
O Stress remaining in wax as a result of
manipulation during heating, cooling,
bending , carving etc.
O The release of stress at higher
temperature causes an irreversible
deformation that can destroy the fit of
wax pattern.
 DUCTILITY
O It increases as the temperature of the wax is
increased.
O Waxes with a lower melting temperatures have a
greater ductility at any given temperature than
those with a higher melting temperature.
O The ductility is influenced by the distribution of
the melting temperatures of the component
waxes.
O A blended wax with components having a wide
range of melting ranges generally has greater
ductility
 Paraffin wax(mineral wax)
O Generally the main ingredient of inlay waxes.
O Obtained from high boiling fractions of
petrolem(methane series)
O Mixture of hydrocarbons
O Melting range 40-71 C. increases with
o

increasing molecular wt
O Presence of oil lowers melting temp.
O Does not present smooth, glossy surface
O Consequently other waxes and natural resins are
added.
Carnauba wax (plant wax)

O It is quite hard, melting range 84-910C

O Combined with paraffin to-
Decrease flow at mouth temp
increase the hardness
O It contributes to glossiness of the wax surface,
even more than dammar resin.
Ceresin wax (mineral wax)

O May replace part of paraffin to modify

toughness and carving characteristic.
O Like microcrystalline waxes they are
branched chain and straight chain paraffin.
O They have higher mol wt and greater
hardness than hydrocarbon waxes
O These waxes also may be used to increase
the melting range of paraffin waxes.
 Beeswax (insect wax)
O Complex mixture of esters, consisting mainly of
myricyl palmitate, plus saturated and
unsaturated hydrocarbons and high molecular
wt. organic acids.
O About 1200 are needed to make a single gram
of wax.
O Melting range 63-700C
O Used to modify the properties of paraffin wax.
(also the main component of sticky wax)
 Natural resin (gum
dammer)
O Less than 1%
O Added to paraffin to improve its smoothness
in molding
O It renders it more resistant to cracking and
flaking
O Increases the toughness of the wax and
enhances the smoothness and lusture of
the wax.
 Microcrystalline
waxes(mineral)
O It has a higher melting range 60-910C
O It is tougher and more flexible than paraffin
O It has less volumetric shrinkage during
solidification than paraffin.
Candelilla wax (plant wax)

O Same qualities as carnauba wax

O Added to paraffin to partially or entirely replace

carnauba wax.

O Its melting point is lower, and it is not as hard as

carnauba wax.
Spermaceti wax:
 Pattern waxes
O Used to form the general predetermined size
and contour of artificial dental restoration ,
which is to be constructed of a more durable
material.
O 2 major properties:
O Thermal change in dimension
O Tendency to warp or distort on standing
Inlay waxwax
Casting
Baseplate wax
 Processing waxes
O Used primarily as auxillary aids in the
construction a variety of restorations and
appliances either clinically or in the
laboratory
O Perform numerous tasks
Boxing wax
Beading wax
Utility wax
Sticky wax
 Impression wax
O Oldest recorded way
O Use of wax is limited to non-undercut
edentulous portion of the mouth
O Bite registration waxes
O Corrective waxes

Korecta wax
Iova wax
Alu wax
 Inlay pattern wax
O Used in preparation of gold inlays, crowns &
bridge units
Composition of inlay wax
Paraffin (major portion)-60%
Microcrystalline wax
Ceresin-10%
Carnauba-25%
Candelilla
Bees wax-5%
Gum dammar
 Desirable properties
O When softened it should be uniform.
O The color should be in contrast with the die
material.
O There should not be any flakiness or surface
roughening after softening.
O It should not leave any residue during burnout.
O The wax pattern should be rigid and
dimensionally stable
O Should be able to carved to very thin layer
 Inlay wax : Properties

O ANSI/ADA Specification No. 4 for dental

inlay casting wax.
O Classified as:
 Type I wax = a medium wax that is used
for making direct patterns in the mouth.
 Type II wax = a softer wax that is used as an
indirect technique wax.
 TYPE I
O Low flow at 37°C
O Working temperature : 45°C
O Should not be high to avoid pulpal damage.
 Vario wax

O Dark blue-hard, for crowns bridges and inlays. Add on and Dip
use
O Light blue-soft, for crowns bridges and inlays, add on and dip
O Lilac-stress free, for copings and cervical margins
O Red- adhesive, connecting and adhesive wax
 Casting wax
O The pattern for the metallic framework of removable
partial denture and other similar structures is
fabricated from the casting waxes.
O Available as
O 28-30 gauge (0.32-0.4mm) thickness ready made
shapes, & in bulk
O Composition similar to inlay wax with various
combination and proportion
 DENTAURUM (Germany)
Model Casting, Wax Preforms

O Available in green (clasps) and red

(retentions) colors

Ring clasp, lingual bars, ridge retentions

Premolar clasps, molar clasps, ring clasp
Grids ,coarse grids, fine grids.
 Perforated retentions ,sprue former
patterns ,loop retentions.

Wax profiles- available as 0.6-5.0 mm dia, finishing strip, sprue former strip.
Connecting wax, dark green- Special wax for rapid build up of connections
Between the base and the clasps and retainers, melting point 740C

Thermo wax, pink- high melting point blocking

Out wax for undercuts, melting point 960C
 Properties of casting wax

O These waxes possess certain degree of

tackiness

O This helps to maintain their position on the cast

and on each other during assembly of pattern.

O There is no ADA specification for these casting

waxes.

O A federal specification has been formulated No

U-W 140(march 1948)
 Base plate wax

o Baseplate wax derives its name from its use on the baseplate tray in the
technique for complete denture restoration
o Used to establish the vertical dimension, the plane of occlusion, and
the initial arch form.
o May also be used to form a portion of the tray itself.
o Pink color provides some esthetic quality in the initial stage of denture
construction.
 Composition
O 70-80 % paraffin or ceresin
O 80% ceresin
O 12% beeswax
O 2.5% carnuaba
O 3% natural or synthetic resins
O 2.5% microcrystalline or synthetic wax
 Requirements
ANSI/ADA Specification No.24
Marginal wax
Seals margins of copings,
crowns and inlay onlay.
Boxing and beading wax

O Boxing can be defined as the enclosure

(box) of an impression to produce the
desired size and form of the base of the cast
and to preserve desired details.
O Beading and boxing final impressions before
pouring preserves the extension, as well as
the thickness, of the border; controls the
form and thickness of the base of the cast.
O Should have slight tackiness which allows
them to be attached to each other or to
stone models or impression trays
O Can be easily melted to seal them to the
impression surface
O Composition :
O Bees wax. Paraffin , soft waxes
o Federal specification No U-W -138
o Smooth, glossy surface on flaming
o
o Pliable at 21 C
o Seals easily to plaster with hot spatula
o Dimensions
Long 40 cms strips
4-5 cm wide
0.1cm thick
 Carding wax
O Was original material on which porcelain
teeth were fixed when received from
manufacturer

Orange - very soft consistency

Red - hard, pliable
 Utility wax
O Tacky at room temperature, once applied it
will adhere without heat, making it ideal for
build-up of impression trays.
O Federal specification No U-W -156
O Sufficient adhesive at 21-240C
O Composition
O Bees wax, petrolatum. Other soft waxes
 Sticky wax
o It is sticky when melt and adheres closely to the
surface on which it is applied.
o It is firm, free from tackiness and brittle at room
temp..
o Federal Specification No.U-W-00149a
o Composition
Rosin , yellow bees wax, low and high melting resins
, coloring matter, gum dammar
KEMDENT

D-R MINER
Corrective impression wax
O Used as a wax veneer over an original
impression to contact and register the detail
of the soft tissue .
O Formulated from hydrocarbon waxes such as
paraffin,ceresin & beeswax and may contain
metal particles
O The flow at 370C is 100 %
O Records mucosa in functional state
Used to record selected areas of soft tissues in edentulous arches
Correct for error of impression (from lab)
 Bite registration wax
O Used to accurately articulate certain models
of opposing quadrant
O Formulated from beeswax or hydrocarbon
waxes such as paraffin or ceresin and
contain alumina or copper particle
O 28 gauge wax sheets or from hard baseplate
wax
O Flow at 370C:2.5-22%- susceptible for
distortion on removal from mouth
 Conclusion
O For dentists and technicians, wax is a critical
component in the creation of many restorations
and procedures
O There are still not many restorative procedures
that can be carried out without the aid of waxes.
O Way back in 1939 Hollenback et al published
the results of their extensive work on properties
of waxes.
They concluded that waxes are
sufficiently stable material if handled properly.
 References
O Vyas A, Maru K, Bali SK, Jain S, Shukla J, Kataria N. A new
simplified beading and boxing procedure for elastic
impression. The Journal of Indian Prosthodontic Society.
2011 Mar 1;11(1):52-4.
O Kenneth j. Anusavice ; Phillips Science of dental material
.Eleventh edition, Elsevier,2004.
O Robert C. Craig John M. Powers, John C.Wataha ;Dental
materials properties and manipulation,. Eleventh
edition,2002.
O Kotsiomiti E, McCabe JF. Stability of dental waxes following
repeated heatings. Journal of oral rehabilitation. 1995
Feb;22(2):135-43.
O Ito M, Yamagishi T, Oshida Y, Munoz CA. Effect of selected
physical properties of waxes on investments and casting
shrinkage. The Journal of prosthetic dentistry. 1996 Feb
1;75(2):211-6.