Dental Waxes

Natchaya Thitivaraporn, DDS

 Introduction

• 2,000 years ago

• Beeswax was derived from secretions that

bees use to build honeycombs

• beeswax was used for softening skin, candle

production, and making sculptures and
statues
 Introduction

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/1SA-RP-with-wax-modeling https://www.researchgate.net/figure https://www.ortodoncia.ws/publicaciones/2012/art-29

 Introduction

https://www.palmettopros.com/services/dentures https://www.wakedentalcare.com/dental-bridge/ https://slideplayer.com/slide/10482289/

WHAT IS DENTAL WAX?
 Dental wax
• Waxes are thermoplastic materials which are solids at room temperature but
melt without decomposition to form mobile liquids

• Dental Waxes are combinations of various types of waxes compounded to

provide desired physical properties. (GPT-8)

• A mixture of two or more waxes with other additives, used in dentistry for casts,
construction of nonmetallic denturebases,
registering of jaw relations, and laboratory work.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. (2003). Retrieved August 20 2022
from https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/dental+wax
 Dental wax
Structure

• Organic polymers

• Hydrocarbon atoms and derivative (e.g. ester and alcohol)

• Molecular weight 400-4,000

The top structure is a hydrocarbon

the bottom structure is a high-molecular weight ester.

 Components

Dental wax

Wax Additives

Natural wax

Synthetic wax
 Components

Dental wax

Wax Additives

Natural wax

Synthetic wax
 Components

Dental wax

Wax Additives

Natural wax Mineral wax

Plant wax

Synthetic wax Animal wax

 Components
Natural wax Mineral wax

1. Paraffin wax
 Brittle at room temperature.
 Softening temperature: 37–55°C
 Melting point range: 40–71°C
2. Ceresin wax
 Added to increase the melting range of paraffin wax
3. Microcrystalline wax
 Less brittle than paraffin wax due to their oil content
 Melting range: 60–80°C
 Added to modify the softening and melting ranges of wax blends
 Less volumetric change during solidification
 Components
Natural wax Plant wax

1. Carnauba wax
 Melting temperature: 84–91°C.
 Added to increase the melting range and hardness of paraffin wax
2. Candelilla wax
 Melting temperature: 68–75°C
 Added to harden paraffin waxes
 Components
Natural wax Animal wax

1. Spermaceti Wax
 Obtained from the whale
 Used as a coating in the manufacture of dental floss
2. Bees wax
 Obtained from honeycomb
 Melting temperature: 63–70°C.
 Adding beeswax to paraffin wax is to render the material less brittle and to
improve flow properties at oral temperature.
 Components

Dental wax

Wax Additives

Natural wax

Synthetic wax
 Components
Synthetic wax

 A man-made wax
 Complex organic compound
 Have specific melting points
 Less contamination
 Polyethylene waxes, Polyoxyethylene waxes, Ozokerite, Caresin
 Components

Dental wax

Wax Additives

Natural wax

Synthetic wax
 Components
Additives

1. Gum
• From plants and animals
• Harden when exposed to air
• Dissolved when mixed with water
• E.g. Gum Arabic, tragacanth

2. Fat
• Ester of fatty acids with glycerol
• Melting range
• Hardness
 Components
Additives

3. Resin
• Complex amorphous mixtures of organic substances
• Toughness

4. Oil
• Ease of polishing of wax

5. Pigment
• Distinguish the different types of wax
คำถำมว่ำ สปก.ไหนช่วยเรื่องอะไร?
General properties
1. Melting range
2. Thermal expansion and contraction
3. Mechanical properties
4. Flow
5. Residual stress
6. Ductility
General properties
1. Melting range
Waxes are likely to consist of a mixture of a great many
compounds: mixtures of types (alcohols, esters, etc.), all of
which will have different physical and mechanical properties.

Although one or a few compounds may dominate, they

never approach purity. Even in refined paraffin waxes
derived (by distillation) from petroleum, there will be a
range of sizes present

There is no single, sharp melting point for any of these

natural products, but rather there is a pronounced melting
range. Melting range for mixtures of two natural wax mixtures

https://pocketdentistry.com/16-waxes/
General properties
2. Thermal expansion and contraction

Easier for molecules to move

apart when heated

High Coefficient of horizontal

expansion

Temp Expansion
Temp Contraction
Craig et al.,1965
General properties
3. Mechanical properties
• Depend strongly on the temperature
• The elastic modulus, Proportional limit and
Compressive strength of waxes are low
compare with those of other materials

Elastic modulus
Temp
Proportional limit
Compressive strength
General properties
4. Flow
• Highly dependent on temperature and time
• It’s caused by the slippage of the long-chained wax molecules over each other
• The temperature approaches the melting range of the wax, the flow increases
dramatically

https://pocketdentistry.com/10-waxes/
General properties
5. Residual stress

• The energy releasing on the surface is faster than the deeper part, resulting
contraction and dimensional change

• Stress remaining in wax as a result of manipulation during heating, cooling,

bending, carving, etc.

• These stresses that are present in wax generally are released as the temperature
of the wax increases
General properties
6. Ductility (กำรทำให้เป็ นเส้น)

Temp

Melting point Ductility

Wider melting range
คำถำม
Classification of waxes
according to the Application in Dentistry
 Classification

Pattern wax Processing wax Impression wax

• Inlay • Boxing • Corrective

• Casting • Utility • Bite
• Baseplate • Sticky registration
 Classification

Pattern wax Processing wax Impression wax

• Inlay • Boxing • Corrective

• Casting • Utility • Bite
• Baseplate • Sticky registration
Pattern wax

1. Inlay wax
• At its working temperature, inlay wax possesses low flow to prevent distortion of
the wax pattern.
• The pattern for inlays, crowns and bridges and then replaced by metal during
casting
• Mostly paraffin with carnauba wax

Rosenstiel SF, Land MF, Fujimoto J: Contemporary

Fixed Prosthodontics, ed 4, St Louis, 2006, Mosby.)
 Pattern wax

1. Inlay wax

Working model, the separating Wax-up zirconia substructure Facial view of the finished restoration
medium has been applied prior with blue inlay wax
to wax application.

Oral Health Journal, 2010

Pattern wax

1. Inlay wax
Properties

• Flow
 Class I : 30°C flow < 1%, 45°C flow 70-90%
 Class II : 37°C flow < 1%, 45°C flow 70-90%

• Toughness
 Tough but not brittle
 Easy to carve

https://www.jaypeedigital.com/book/9789350259399/chapter/ch23
Pattern wax

1. Inlay wax
Properties

• Thermal properties
 Thermal conductivity: Low
 Coefficient of thermal expansion = 350×10−6 /℃
 37℃ 25℃ wax contraction 0.4%

• Wax distortion (Dimension change) caused by residual stress

• Residue on ignition: Non-vaporizable residual < 0.1% (ISO 15854:2005)
Pattern wax

2. Casting wax
• Used for partial denture frameworks and other metal frameworks
• Composition: same as inlay wax but different proportion
Pattern wax

2. Casting wax

https://www.uobabylon.edu.iq/eprints/publication
Pattern wax

2. Casting wax
Properties
• Tough and high strength
• Minimal dimensional change (accuracy)
• High ductility
• Completely vaporized
• Flow≈ Type II inlay wax
Pattern wax

3. Baseplate wax

• Used to make occlusion rim and record base

• Used to form the contour of the denture
• Composition: Paraffin 70-80%, beeswax, carnauba, resin, microcrystalline
Pattern wax

3. Baseplate wax

Teeth
Occlusion rim arrangement Denture

Baseplate
wax
Pattern wax

3. Baseplate wax

Properties

• Thermal expansion < 0.8% (25-40°C)

• Easy to carve
• Smooth and not sticky when softened
• No irritation to oral tissue
• No residual
• No adhesion
Pattern wax

3. Baseplate wax

Classification

• Type I (Soft): Building contours and veneers

• Type II (Hard): Used in mouth ( Making record base but rarely used
because it lacks rigidity and dimensional stability)

• Type III (Extra hard): The most common used because it’s hard at
mouth temperature
 Classification

Pattern wax Processing wax Impression wax

• Inlay • Boxing • Corrective

• Casting • Utility • Bite
• Baseplate • Sticky registration
Processing wax

1. Boxing wax

• Used to build-up vertical wall around the impression, in order to

pour stone and make a cast

Properties

• Pliable and can be adapted easily

Processing wax

1. Boxing wax

Complete-denture-impression-2nd-year-drfmha.pdf
Processing wax

2. Utility wax (Periphery wax)

• Used to adjust contour of impression tray

• Support impression material in patient with high palatal vault
prevent distortion

Properties

• Pliable and can be easily molded

• Stick to the tray
Processing wax

2. Utility wax (Periphery wax)

https://pocketdentistry.com/taking-alginate-impressions/
Processing wax

3. Sticky wax

Components: Yellow beeswax, resin, rosin, natural resin

• Fix broken pieces of the denture together Denture repair

Properties

• Sticky when melted

• Brittle when cooled
Processing wax

3. Sticky wax

https://quizlet.com/gb/501100413/19-repairs-to-dentures-flash-cards/
 Classification

Pattern wax Processing wax Impression wax

• Inlay • Boxing • Corrective

• Casting • Utility • Bite
• Baseplate • Sticky registration
Impression wax

1. Corrective impression wax

Components: Paraffin, ceresin, beeswax, metal particle

• Register the detail of the soft tissue at functional form

• Unstable and susceptible to distortion
Impression wax

2. Bite registration wax

• Components: Beeswax, paraffin or ceresin, aluminum or copper particle

• Used to record relation of opposing teeth

• It’s necessary in order to mount casts correctly in the articulator
Impression wax

2. Bite registration wax

Properties
• Flow 2.5-22% at 37°C
• Beware of distortion during removal from the mouth

Aluwax
• Contains powdered aluminum
• Integrity
• Heat relation

http://piyawat.prosth.dent.chula.ac.th/4ClinicLab3.htm