DENTAL WAXES

DR SASIKALA.C MDS
READER
CDCRI
 INTRODUCTION
Wax has been a reeds used for flutes, coating and preserving valuable objects, valuable
commodity for over 2000 years .
It was used for softening skin, binding together candle production, and making sculptures and
statues of highly regarded public figures .
First inlay in dentistry is credited to “John murphy” of London, who was fabricating porcelain
inlay in 1855.
 ONE OF SEVERAL ESTERS OF FATTY ACIDS WITH HIGHER ALCOHOLS,
USUALLY MONOHYDRIC ALCOHOLS; DENTAL WAXES ARE COMBINATIONS
OF VARIOUS TYPES OF WAXES COMPOUNDED TO PROVIDE DESIRED
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (GPT-9)

GPT DEFINITION FOR DENTAL WAXES

 CLASSIFICATION OF WAXES

1)According to origin

2)According to use and application

 ACCORDING TO ORIGIN

• Natural
• Mineral • Synthetic waxes
• Paraffin
• Microcrystalline • Acra wax
• Ceresin
• barnsdahl
• Montan • Acrosol OT
• Plant
• Carnauba • Castor wax
• candelilla
• Japanese wax
• Cocoa butter
• Flexo wax
• Insect • Aldo wax
• Beeswax
• Animal
• Spermaceti wax • Dura wax
• Additives • Natural resins
• Stearic acid
• Copal
• Glycreyl tri sterate
• Dammar
• Oils
• Turpentine • Synthetic resins
• Colourants • Polyethylene
• Polyoxyethylene glycol
ACCORDING TO USE AND & APPLICATION

PATTERN WAXES PROCESSING WAXES IMPRESSION WAXES

Inlay wax Boxing wax Bite registration or
Casting wax utility wax corrective wax

Base plate wax sticky wax

carding wax
Blockout wax
white wax
 CROWN AND BRIDGE INLAY WAX

In ropes In bulk
INLAY WAX
CASTING WAX -CROWN &BRIDGE
INLAY CASTING WAX
• Inlay wax is a specialized dental wax that can be applied to dies to form direct or indirect patterns for
the lost wax technique used for casting metal or hot pressing of ceramics.

• Generally produced in deep blue, green or purple color.

• Composition of inlay wax

Paraffin-60%
Carnauba-25%
Beeswax-5%
Ceresin-10%
Natural resins(gum dammer)-less than 1%
Organic fillers- added to avoid excessive shrinkage,expansion due to temp change
Microcrystalline wax- In minute amount.
Candelilla
Coloring agents
Paraffin wax(mineral wax)

• Generally the main ingredient of inlay waxes.

• Obtained from high boiling fractions of petroleum(methane series)

• Mixture of hydrocarbons

• Melting range 40-71 C. increases with increasing molecular wt.

o

• Paraffin waxes have less than 0.5% oil.

• Presence of oil lowers melting temp.

• During solidification and cooling a volumetric contraction in the range 11%-15%.

• This is not uniform ,since it is a mixture of hydrocarbons.

• Likely to flake when trimmed.

• Does not present smooth, glossy surface

• Consequently other waxes and natural resins are added.

Carnauba wax (plant wax)

• Derived from tropical palms

• It is quite hard, melting range 84-910C
• Combined with paraffin to-
Decrease flow at mouth temp
increase the hardness
• It contributes to glossiness of the wax surface, even more than dammar resin.

(Addition of 10 % carnauba wax to paraffin wax with a melting range of 20 0C

will increase the melting range to 460C.)
Natural resin (gum dammer)

• Less than 1%

• Added to paraffin to improve its smoothness in molding

• It renders it more resistant to cracking and flaking

• Increases the toughness of the wax and enhances the smoothness and lusture of the
wax.

Microcrystalline waxes(mineral)
• Similar to paraffin waxes, but obtained from heavier oil fractions.

• It has a higher melting range 60-910C

• It is tougher and more flexible than paraffin

• It has less volumetric shrinkage during solidification than paraffin.

 Beeswax (insect wax)

• Complex mixture of esters, consisting mainly of myricyl palmitate, plus saturated

and unsaturated hydrocarbons and high molecular wt organic acids.

• Melting range 63-700C

• Brittle at room temp, becomes plastic at body temp

• Used to modify the properties of paraffin wax

(also the main component of sticky wax)

 Candelilla wax (plant wax)

• Same qualities as carnauba wax

• Added to paraffin to partially or entirely replace carnauba wax.

• Its melting point is lower, and it is not as hard as carnauba wax .

Organic Fillers

• Normally soft wax shrinks more than hard wax

• High shrinking wax may cause significant pattern distortion when it solidifies.

• For this reason organic filler is added , they should be completely miscible with
components of inlay wax.

• They should not leave an undesirable residue after burnout.

• In modern inlay waxes, carnauba wax is often replaced in part
with certain synthetic waxes that are compatible with paraffin
wax

• One is a complex nitrogen derivative of higher fatty acids.

• The other is composed of esters of acids derived from montan

wax, a petroleum derivative

• Control of properties of inlay wax is governed by combination

of factors-
-Amount of carnauba wax used.
-The melting range of hydrocarbon wax.
-Presence of resin.
 CLASSIFICAION OF INLAY WAXES

• According to ADA SPECIFICATION 4

• TYPE 1 -medium wax used for direct wax pattern

• TYPE 2 - soft wax used for indirected wax pattern

 INLAY WAX

IDEAL REQUIREMENTS

•Uniform when softened with no graininess /hard spots

•Colour-Contrast with die material facilitate proper finishing

•of margins

•Rigid & dimensionally stable

•Plastic – above mouth temp
•Flow
 PROPERTIES OF INLAY CASTING WAXES

FLOW
• ANSI/ADA Specification No 4 covers two types of waxes
• Type I is medium wax, its hard, used for direct pattern in the mouth, where lower flow values at 37 0C tend
to minimize any distortion of the pattern on its removal.
• Type II is a soft wax used in indirect technique

• Flow at different temp when type I and II waxes are subjected to 19.6 N load for 10 min requirement for
ANSI/ADA sp no 4(JADA 1984)

Type of wax T=300C T=370C T=400C T=400C T=450 T=450C

(max) (max) (min) (max) (min) (max)

I --- 1.0 --- 20 70 90

II 1.0 --- 50 --- 70 90

At body temp flow of type I is 1% and that of type II is 9%, to record cavity detail it
Must attain temp around 450C.
 THERMAL PROPERTIES
• Thermal conductivity of waxes is low and time is required to both heat them
uniformly and to cool them to body or room temperature.

• Inlay wax thermally expand and contract more per degree of temp change
than any other dental material.

• This is one of the inherent disadvantages of waxes when they are used in the
direct technique.

• This property is not significant when wax is used in indirect technique

because the pattern is not subjected to a change from mouth to room temp,
provided no marked variations in temp occurs after the removal of pattern
from die.
• Waxes have high coefficient of thermal expansion .

Thermal expansion of inlay wax

(paraffin).
A- cooled under Pr
B- cooled without Pr

The max linear thermal expansion allowed between 25 and 30 0C is 0.20%, between 25
and 370C 0.60% is allowed.
WAX DISTORTION /WARPAGE OF WAX PATTERN
• Wax distortion is probably the most serious problem during forming and removal of the pattern
from the mouth or the die.
• Distortion results from

-thermal changes
-relaxation of stresses (on cooling)
-occluded air
-molding
-carving
-removal and the time and temp of storage

• Waxes tend to return to their original shape after manipulation, property is known as elastic
memory.
• The casting fits best when the pattern is invested immediately after its removal from the die.
Inlay wax softened over bunsen burner and left in room temp water for several hours
It tends to return to its orignal shape, the inner mol were under compression while
Outer ones under tension.
Castings made from patterns with melted wax cooled under pressure
A- Pattern invested immediately
B- Pattern stored for 2 hr
C- Pattern stored for 12 hr
• One can minimize the incorporation of residual stress by softening a wax uniformly by heating at 50 0C
for at least 15 min before use , also by using warmed carving instruments and a warmed die, by
adding wax to the die in small amounts.

• Greater warpage results at higher storage temp.

• Inlay wax pattern if allowed to stand longer than 30 min, should be kept in a refrigerator , the
distortion will be less as compared to room temp.

• During spruing distortion can be reduced by use of solid wax sprue or hollow metal sprue filled with
sticky wax. If the pattern was stored margins should be re-adapted.
• Sprue position- Ideal area for the sprue former is the point of greatest bulk in the pattern to avoid
distorting thin areas and permit complete flow of the alloy into the mold cavity.

• It should be attached with the pattern on the master die, provided the pattern can be removed
directly in line with its path of withdrawl from the die.

• Sprue diameter- same size as the thickest area of the wax pattern ,if the pattern is small, the sprue
former must also be small.

• Length should be adjusted ,

Gypsum bonded investment – 6 mm of the open end of ring
Phosphate bonded investment – 3 -4mm
MANIPULATION OF INLAY WAX
• Dry heat is preferred to the use of water bath (54-60 0C)
• For type I (direct technique), it is softened over a flame until it becomes shiny.
• It is kneaded, shaped and pressed in the prepared cavity.
• Pressure is applied by finger or pt biting on it.
• It is cooled gradually, before taking out.
• For fabricating indirect pattern (type II) die should be lubricated, preferably with a
lubricant, containing a wetting agent.
• Excess must be avoided .
• Melted wax is added in layers with a spatula or waxing instrument or may be painted on
with a brush.
• Wax is then carved to proper contour.
• A silk or fine cloth may be used, for final polishing.
Dipping waxes are kept molten for constant usage .
• Wax pots kept at different temp can be used.
• Proportion of these waxes have not been characterized , nor do they fall in any present
specification.

Wax heating unit

Temp range 30-1100C
 WAX PATTERN FABRICATION

• Direct wax pattern technique

• Indirect wax pattern technique

• Direct indirect wax pattern technique

READY SHAPED CASTING WAX
CASTING WAX
CASTING WAX
 CASTING WAX
Uses
Cast partial frame work

Mode of supply

- Sheets – 0.40 & 0.32mm

- Readymade sheets

Round rods

Half Round rods

Half pear shaped rods

- Bulk
 BASE PLATE WAX

Applications

- Occlusal rims
- To produce contour of denture

- Orthodontic appliances & other prosthesis

- Interocclusal records
 BASE PLATE WAX

CLASSIFICATION( A.D.A specification No .24)

Type I soft - Veneers

Type II Medium
Type III Hard

MODE OF SUPPLY

Sheets
 BASE PLATE WAX
COMPOSITION

Ceresin 80%

Beeswax 12%

Carnauba 2.5%

Natural/Synthetic 3%

Microcrystalline 2.5%
Properties:

• Flow: 2% at 37°c and 55% at 45°c

• Softened in direct flame

• Wash out easily with boiling water

• Trim easily with sharp instrument at 20-25°c

 BOXING WAX
Mode of supply

•Sheets - Boxing wax

•Ropes – Beading wax

Uses
•Preserves the extensions
•Controls the thickness of the borders
•Controls the form & thickness of base of cast

•Conserves the artificial stone

BEADING WAX
 UTILITY WAX

Composition
-Bees wax
-Petrolatum
-Other soft waxes

Mode of supply:
- Sticks & sheets
Properties:
-Soft at room temperature

-Adhesive to build up.

Uses:
-To build up border of the impression trays

-Attaching a pontic of a bridge

-Other handy purpose

-Provide desirable contour to perforated tray with hydocollides

-Build up flange of tray & raise palatal portions

 STICKY WAX

Composition
Yellow beeswax 66 parts

Rosin 17 parts

Natural resins
(gum dammar) 17parts
Properties:
-Hard
-Brittle
-Sticky when heated
-Difficult to burn out
Uses:
-To hold the broken parts of dentures temporarily while repairing.
-To hold the broken parts of gypsum casts
-To hold the metallic parts temporarily during soldering
-To hold cotton threads on non-perforated trays.
 IMPRESSION WAXES

Composition:
• Praffin in wax
• Bees wax
• Ceresin
• Metal particles

Properties:
• Very high degree of flow – at mouth temperature
• Soft even at room temperature
Uses:

- Record non undercut edentulous portion of mouth

- Used in combination with other impression materials

• Polysulfide rubber
• Zinc oxide eugenol

• Dental impression compound

2 types
Corrective impression wax
Bite registration wax
BITE REGISTRATION WAX
BITE REGISTRATION WAX
LATEST FORMS
REFERNCES

• Philips SCIENCE OF DENTAL MATERIALS

• BASIC DENTAL MATERIALS BY JOHN J MANAPALLIL