CONNECTORS FOR FIXED

PARTIAL DENTURES

Dr. Diaaeldin Saad Awad

BDS, MSc, PhD
Associate professor of prosthodontics
Gulf Medical University
 Objectives:

• Enumerate different types of rigid connectors.

• Describe step by step soldering techniques.

• Differentiate between pre-ceramic & post-ceramic

soldering.
• Connectors are those parts of a fixed partial denture
(FPD) that join the individual retainers and pontics
together.
 Types Of Connectors
I. Rigid connectors
➢Casted
➢Soldered
➢Welded
➢Loop connectors
II. Non-rigid connectors
➢ Cast rest joint movable connector
➢ Key and key way (precision and semi-precision
attachment).
➢ Split pontic
➢ Cross pin and wing design pontic
I. Rigid Connectors
• Rigid connections in metal can be made by

casting,

soldering

or welding
I. Rigid Connectors
Cast Connectors

They are shaped in wax as part of a multiunit wax

pattern (one-piece casting)

• Convenient, minimizing laboratory steps

I. Rigid Connectors
Cast Connectors

Disadvantages :

• Liability to distortion during wax pattern removal

from the cast

• Restricted to simple restorations short span FPD

I. Rigid Connectors
• Soldered connectors
I. Rigid Connectors
• Soldered connectors

Soldering involves the joining of metal components by

the use of a filler metal or solder alloy having a lower
melting temperature than the parts to be joined
I. Rigid Connectors
• Soldered connectors

The parts being joined are not melted during soldering

but must be thoroughly wettable by liquefied solder
• Soldering- the filler metal has a melting point
below 450° C.
• Brazing- the filler has a melting point above
450° C.
• Rigid connections in dentistry are generally
fabricated above 450° C.
 Uses of Soldering
• Joining components of fixed partial dentures

• Building up proximal contacts

• Repairing casting voids or broken joints

I. Rigid connectors

• The surfaces to be joined should be:

➢ Flat and parallel
➢ 0.25 mm an even gap width of
➢ Cleanliness of the surfaces
I. Rigid connectors

• The surfaces to be joined should be:

➢ Flat and parallel
I. Rigid connectors

• The surfaces to be joined should be:

➢ Flat and parallel
➢ 0.25 mm an even gap width of
I. Rigid connectors

• The surfaces to be joined should be:

➢ Flat and parallel
➢ 0.25 mm an even gap width of
➢ Cleanliness of the surfaces
I. Rigid connectors
• Connectors to be soldered are waxed to final shape
and then sectioned with a thin ribbon saw
Solder Alloys
Gold solders
Gold 49-73%- Corrosion resistance

Silver 9-17.5 % Flow

Copper 12.5–23 % Melting temp.

Zinc 3–6 %
Tin 2.5-4.5 %
Solder Alloys
Gold solders
Fineness- 490, 585, 615, 650, 730.

If solder is indicated as-

750-fine
18-carat

Fusion temperature of gold solders 780-8300c

Solder Alloys
Silver solder: -
Silver
Cupper
Zinc & cadmium-decrease the fusion temperature.

Fusion temperature is 600-7500 c

They are commonly used for base metal alloys.

Requirements of solder alloys
• Lower fusion temperature than parent alloy
• High tarnish and corrosion resistance
• Flow freely during the soldering procedure
Lower fineness gold solders are more fluid and
so used for joining castings
Higher fineness solders tend to flow less freely
and are used for building up contacts
Requirements of solder alloys

• High strength comparable to parent alloy

• Non pitting
• Color matching to parent alloy.
• Solder should possess a fusion temperature
about 60 degrees C below that of the metal
being soldered
Soldering flux
• It is applied on a metal surface to remove oxides or
prevent their formation
• The solder will be then free to wet and spread over
the clean metal surface
 Ideal properties of flux

• Easy to apply and stay where it is applied.

• Withstand heating without loosing its protective
properties.
• Lower fusion temperature than the alloy being
melted.
• Flow easily over the surface of the alloy when
melted
• Prevent the formation of oxides
• Prevent the absorption of gases into the molten
alloy
Types of fluxes

• For gold alloys: borax glass

because of its affinity to copper
oxides
• Borax 55%,
• Boric acid 35%,
• Silica 10%
• For base metal alloys: fluoride fluxes to
dissolve stable oxides of chromium, cobalt and
nickel.
• Composition:
potassium fluoride: 50%-60%
boric acid : 25%-35%
borax glass : 6%-8%
potassium carbonate: 8%-10%
Soldering Antiflux
• Used to limit the spreading of the solder alloy.
It is placed on the casting before flux
application

• Graphite pencil
• Iron oxide (rouge)
• Soldering index
• Soldering investment
• Soldering investment
Soldering investment
• Similar in composition to casting investments
• High strength
• Should withstand heat without cracking
• Quartz investments are better than
cristoballites because of lower thermal
expansion
 Soldering All-Metal FPDs
• Type III and type IV gold retainers are soldered with
gold solders of 615 to 650 fineness
 Soldering Metal-Ceramic FPDs

• Pre-ceramic soldering

• Post-ceramic soldering
 Soldering Metal-Ceramic FPDs

• Pre-ceramic soldering (1110-1127)

➢ Allows for the try-in step and any necessary adjustments can
be made.

➢ Sag can be a problem with high-gold content ceramic alloys

 Soldering Metal-Ceramic FPDs
• Pre-ceramic soldering
 Soldering Metal-Ceramic FPDs
• Pre-ceramic soldering
 Soldering Metal-Ceramic FPDs
• Pre-ceramic soldering
 Soldering Metal-Ceramic FPDs
• Pre-ceramic soldering
 Soldering Metal-Ceramic FPDs
• Pre-ceramic soldering
 Soldering Metal-Ceramic FPDs
• Pre-ceramic soldering
 Soldering Metal-Ceramic FPDs
• Post-ceramic soldering (710-734)
All the porcelain construction steps must be
completed before soldering
 Soldering Metal-Ceramic FPDs
• Post-ceramic soldering
 Soldering Metal-Ceramic FPDs
• Post-ceramic soldering
Study Questions

• What are the ideal

requirements of the solder
alloy?

• Differentiate between
preceramic & post ceramic
Soldering?
 Reference
Contemporary Fixed Prosthodontics 5th
Ed; Chapter 27 P:713-735