CHAPTER 9 Impression Materials 239

Fig. 9-17 Steel dies used for determining acwracy in techniques that involve impression materials and
~astings.Left, mesial-occlusal-distal preparation. Center, Full-crown preparation. Right, One-surface
inlay preparation.

Even when the material has sufficient viscosity to be stabilized in a tray, it does
not offer much resistance to seating. It is very easy for the patient to "bite through"
the impression material. kor this reason, the triple-tray is commonly used with
reversible hydrocolloids With a triple-tray technique, one impression records the
oial structures of the riiaxilla~yand mandibular arches as well as the occlusal rela-
tionship 7he procedure is so~newllattechnique-sensitive since the dentist must
g ~ ~ i the
d e patient into centric occlusion as the patient "bites" into the impression
material 1 or this type of iiiipressio~i,the rndte~ialmust not resist tllc patient's
efforts to articulate his o~ he1 teeth together Most hyd~ocolloidshave (he optimal
consistency to allow this t e c h n i q ~ ~
toe be used successfully

Distortion During Gelation

Certain stresses are always introduced during gelation. Some contraction occu~s
because of the physical change in the hydrocolloid transformation from a sol to n
gel. If the material is held rigidly i11 the tray, the impression material shrinks toward
the center of its mass, thereby creating large1 dies. Since the sol is a poor thermal
conductor, rapid cooling may cause a concentration of stress near the tray where the
gelation first talzes place. Consequently, water at approximately 20" C is more suit-
able for cooling the impression than is ice water.

ALGINATE (IRREVERSIBLE) HYDROCOLLOIDS

The present alginate hydrocolloid, or irreversible impression material, was devel-
oped as a substitute for the agar impression material when its supply became scarce
during World War 11. 'This material is based o n a natural substance extracted froin
certain brown seaweed. The substance is called anhydro-P-d-mannuronic acid or
alginic acid and has the structural formula shown in Figure 9-1 8. The general use of
irreversible hydrocolloid far exceeds that of other impression materials available
today. The principal factors responsible for the success of this type of impression
material are that it is easy to r n a n i p ~ l ~ ~comfortable
te, for the patient, and relatively
inexpensive since it does not require elaborate equipment.
240 PART l l Auxiliary Dental Materials

OH OH
I I
C=O H 11 C=O

C-
O
I I I I 1
H I1 C=O H H
I
OH
Fig. 9-18 Structllral formula ot al,qlnlt ncld.

Composition
The chief active ingredient of the irreversible hydrocolloid impression materials is
one of the soluble alginates, such as sodium, potassium, or triethanolamine algi-
nate. When the soluble alginates are mixed with water, they form a sol quite read-
ily. 'lhe sols are quite viscous even in low concentrations. The molecular weight of
the alginate compounds may vary widely, depending o n the manufacturing
treatment. The greater the molecular weight, the more viscous is the sol. Table 9-9
shows a formula for the powder component of an alginate impression material.
The purpose of the diatomaceous earth is to act as filler to increase the strength
and stiffness of the alginate gel, to produce a smooth texture, and to ensure the for-
mation of a firm gel surface that is not tacky. It also aids in forming the sol by dis-
persing the alginate powder particles in the water. Zinc oxide also acts as a filler and
has some influence on the physical properties and setting Lillle oC the gel Calcium
sulfate dihydrate is generally used as the reactor. A retarder is also added to control
the setting time. A fluol-ide, such as potassium titanium fluoride, is added as an
accelerator for the setting of the stone to be poured in the impression to ensure a
hard, dense, cast surface.
When powde~in the alginate can is [luffed to break loose the l>articles,fine silica
pariicles will become airborne from the can when the lid is removed. 'l'he silica par-
ticles in the dust are of such a s i ~ eand shape that long-term exposurc through
inhalation is a possible health hazard. I11 an effort to reduce the dust encourllered
after tumbling, manufacturers have introduced a "dustless" dlginatc ill which they
have incorporaled glycerine on the alginate powder to agglo~iieratethe p'lrticles.
'lhis causes the powder to become more dense t1i;ln in the ~~llcoated slate. After tum-
bling, the powders no longer have a tendency to release fine particles as evidenced
by the reduction in airborne particles as the canister lid is removed.

Formula for the Powder Component of an Alginate

Impression Material
Component Function Weight percentage
- - -

Potassium alginate Soluble alginate

Calciurn sulfate Reactor 16
Zinc oxide Filler particles 4
Potassium titanium fluoride Accelerator
Diatotnacco~~s
earth I'iller pdrticlcs
Sodiunl phosphate Ret‘lrder 2
 CHAPTER 9 BI Impression Materials 241

Gelation Process
'I'he typical sol-gel reaction can be described simply as a reaction of soluble alginate
with calcium sulf~%te and the formation of 1' 11 illsoluble calcium alginate gel.
Structurally, calcium ions replacc the sodiunl or potassium ions of two adjacent
molecules to produce a cross-linked complex or polymer network (Fig. 3-19). The
production of the calcium alginate is so rapid that it does not allow sufficient
working time. 'l'herefore, in addition to soluble alginate and calciuln sulfate, a third
water-soluble salt (e.g , trisodiuln phosphate) is added to the solution to prolong
the working time. The strategy is that the ca1ciur-n sulfate will react with this salt i11
preference to the s o l ~ ~ balgin,~te.
le 'l'hus the rapid reaction between calcium sulfate
and the soluble alginate is deferred as long as there is unreacted tvisodium phos-
phate. For example, the following reaction will first take place:

When the supply of trisodium phosphate is exhausted, the calcium ions begin to
react with the potassium alginate to produce calcium alginate as follows:

K,,, Alg + n CaSO, 4 11 K,SO, + C a , Alg (2)

The third salt is known as a relarder. The amount of retarder is adjusted to provide
the proper setting time
I n general, if approximately 16 g of the powder is mixed with 38 ml, of water,
gelntion will occu~in about 3 to 4 min at room temperature. The setting time must
be sufficient to allow the dentis1 to mix the material, load the tray, and place it in
the patient's mouth. I he practical method of dcterniilling setting tinlr for the dental

C-C:
-o\C/O,C/ \ f-O\C/O,c?-c\C
.. C
\0/ \C-d \ j;'O/% / \ /\0/..,
7-0 C-C C-0

Fig. 9-19 Schematic. illustration of

sotlium alginate cross-linked with
calcium ions. The base molecules
represent [he sodium salt of alginic 1
C=O
I
C=O
acid, in which hydrogen atoms of I I
0
c-arhoxyl groups art. rcplaced by ?
Na I
sotlium ,,toms. Wilh the exception o i Ca
Ya I
polar groups, all side chains have been
omitted for simplilicaLion.
p p