DENTAL WAXES

By : Dr Ishita Choudhary
Moderator : Dr Manoj Goyat
We Will Look At…
 Introduction
 Classification of waxes
 Properties of waxes
 Pattern waxes
 Inlay Wax
 Casting wax
 Baseplate wax
 Processing waxes
 Impression waxes
 Milling wax
 Conclusion

3
 Definition
Wax- One of several esters of fatty acids
with higher alcohol, usually monhydric
alcohol; dental waxes are combination
of various types of wax compounded to
provide desired physical properties
(GPT-10)
CLASSIFICATION OF WAXES

1)According to origin

2)According to use and application

I. ACCORDING TO ORIGIN

 Natural waxes are distributed in nature

 Synthetic waxes are produced by
combination of various chemicals
in the laboratory or by chemical action on
natural waxes.
 The additives may be natural materials
and synthetic products.
 Natural
 Mineral
 Plant
○ Paraffin
○ Carnauba
○ Microcrystalline
○ Candelilla
○ Ceresin
○ Japan wax
○ Montan
○ Cocoa butter
○ Ozokerite
○ Ouricury
○ Barnsdahl  Animal
 Insect
○ Spermaceti
 Beeswax
 Synthetic waxes
 Additives
 Acra wax
 Stearic acid
 Aerosol OT
 Glycreyl tristearate
 Castor wax
 Oils
 Flexo wax C
 Turpentine
 Aldo wax 33
 Colourants
 Dura wax 1032
 Natural resins
 Albacer

 Epolene N-10
II ACCORDING TO USE AND & APPLICATION

1. Pattern wax : Inlay wax – Type 1 and type 2

Casting Wax
Baseplate wax- Type 1, Type 2, Type3

2. Processing wax- Boxing wax, Utility Wax , Sticky wax,

Carding Wax, Blockout wax, White wax

3. Impression wax – Bite Registeration, Corrective wax

Characteristic properties of waxes
 Melting range: Because waxes are
mixtures of different components, they do
not melt at a single temperature and do not
have a melting point. Rather, waxes have a
melting range.
Thermal expansion
 Waxes have the highest coefficients of
thermal expansion of any dental
materials.
 When waxes are heated, they expand
significantly and contract with the
decrease in temperature.
Mechanical properties
 Modulus of elasticity, proportional limit,
and compressive strength of waxes are
low compared with those of other
materials, and these properties depend
strongly on the temperature.
 Flow
 Flow is change in shape under Applied Force. Flow is
caused by the slippage of the long-chained wax molecules
over each other.
 Flow is highly dependent on Temperature and time.At low
temperature wax hardly Flow at all, but as the
temperatures approaches the melting range of Wax, the
flow increases dramatically.
Flow depends on
 The temperature of the wax.
 The force bringing about the
deformation.
 The time the force is applied.
 Transition temperature- On heating,
thermal expansion rate of a material
icreases abruptly after a certain
temperaturethis temperature is known
as transitional temperature.
 At temperature in between melting point
and transitional temperature wax is
partly Fluid and partlysolid and is
therefore Viscoelastic
Ductility
 Like flow, ductility increases as the temperature of
a wax specimen is increased.
 In general, waxes with lower melting temperatures
have a greater ductility at any given temperature
than those with higher melting temperatures.
 A blended wax with components that have wide
melting ranges generally has greater ductility than
blended waxes that have a narrow range.
 Pattern wax
 These are used to form the general
predetermined size and contour of an
artificial dental restorations, which is to
be constructed of a more durable
material such as gold alloys, cobalt-
chromium-nickel alloys, or acrylic resin.
INLAY PATTERN WAX
Classification of inlay waxes
 According to ADA SPECIFICATION 4

 TYPE 1 -medium wax used for direct wax pattern

 TYPE 2 - soft wax used for indirect wax pattern

Composition of inlay wax
Paraffin-60% Organic fillers-

Carnauba-25% Microcrystalline wax-

In minute amount.
Beeswax-5%
Candelilla
Ceresin-10%
Coloring agents
Natural resins

(gum dammer)-less

than 1%
Natural resin (gum dammar)

 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 surface.

Carnauba wax (plant wax)

 Derived from tropical palms

 It is quite hard, and has high melting range
 Combined with paraffin to decrease flow at mouth temp
 It contributes to glossiness of the wax surface, even more
than dammar resin.
 has an agreeable odor,
 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.
 Ceresin may replace part of the paraffin to modify the
toughness and carving characteristics of the wax
 Microcrystalline waxes(mineral)
 Similar to paraffin waxes, but obtained from heavier oil
fractions.
 It has a higher melting range
 It is tougher and more flexible than paraffin
 It has less volumetric shrinkage during solidification than
paraffin.
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.
Uses
 Cast partial denture fabrication.
 Post damming of complete maxillary
impressions.
 Checking high points of articulation.
 Producing wax bites of cusp tips for the
articulation of stone casts, etc.
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

-occluded air in pattern

-physical deformation (during molding, carving or removal
-relaxation of stresses (trapped during
previous cooling)
-excessive storage time
 Waxes tend to return partially 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.
Casting Wax

 The pattern for the metallic framework of

removable partial dentures and other similar
structures is fabricated from casting waxes.

 They include paraffin, ceresin, beeswax, resins,

and other waxes being used, in various
percentages.
 These waxes are available in the form of
sheets, usually of 28- and 30- gauge (0.40
and 0.32 mm) thickness, ready-made shapes,
and in bulk.

 Shapes may be round, half-round, and half

pear-shaped rods and wires of various length.
Casting wax

 Class A-28-gauge, pink

 Class B-30-gauge, green
 Class C-ready-made shapes, blue
 Baseplate Wax
 To establish the vertical dimension,
plane of occlusion, and initial arch
form in the technique for the
complete denture restorations.
 Used to form all or a portion of the
special tray
 Patterns for orthodontic appliances.
Composition
 Paraffin/ceresin-70% to 80%
 Beeswax-12%
 Carnauba-2.5%
 Natural/synthetic resin-3%
 Microcrystalline/synthetic wax-2.5%
 ADA/ANSI Specification no. 24 (IS0 12163) :

 Types I soft, for building contours and veneers

 Types II medium for patterns to be tried in the

mouth in normal climatic conditions

 Types III hard for trial fitting In the mouth in

tropical climates

35
 Baseplate wax should be trimmed easily with
a sharp instrument at 23°C and should yield
a smooth surface after gentle flaming.
 These waxes should not leave any residue
on porcelain or plastic teeth.
 Coloring agents in the wax should not
separate or impregnate the plastic mold
during processing.
 Processing waxes
 These are used primarily as auxiliary
aids in constricting a variety of
restorations and appliances.
 These waxes simplifies dental
procedure.
Utility wax
 Used with perforated tray for use with hydrocolloids
to a more desirable contour to prevent a sag and
distortion of the impression material

It is a soft, pliable, adhesive wax may be used

on the lingual portion of a bridge pontic to
stabilize it while a labial plaster splint is poured.

It is supplied in both stick and sheet form in dark

red or orange
 Boxing wax

 Useful material for enclosing an

impression before the plaster or stone
cast is poured.

 Should be slightly tacky and have

sufficient strength and toughness for
convenient manipulation.

39
 Sticky Wax:
 Rosin and yellow beeswax are the
major constituents, coloring matter
and other natural resins such as
gum dammar may be present.

 It is quite tacky when melted, but

firm free from tackiness and brittle
at room temperature.

 Sticky wax is used to join and

temporarily stabilise the
components of a bridge before
soldering the pieces of a broken
denture before the repair.
40
 IMPRESSION WAXES
- They are used to record Non Undercut edentulous portion of the
mouth and, generally used in combination with other impression
material such as Zinc oxide eugenol

- These waxes distort if they are withdrawn from undercut areas

therefore they are limited to use in edentulous portions of the mouth

41
 Bite Registration
Wax
 Bite registration wax is used to accurately
articulate certain models of opposing
quadrants.
 Susceptible to distortion on removal from the
mouth.
 Corrective Impression wax
 It is used as a wax veneer over an original
impression to contact and register the details
of soft tissues.
 Milling wax
 Milling wax in dentistry refers to the process of using
Computer aided milling machines to shape dental
prosthetics, like crowns or bridges , from block of wax. This
precise method helps create accurate and customized
dental restoration based on digital design
 Major component of milling wax is Polyethylene and
polyamide, to achieve desired properties such as
machinability and stability during milling.
 One significant advantage of milling wax is its ability to
produce highly detailed and intricate design that might be
challenging with traditional method
 The process begins with a digital design, often created using
Computer Aided design software(CAD) Software.This design
serve as a blueprint for the milling machine , guiding its
movement to Sculpt the wax block into desired dental
restoration
 Computer numeric control(CNC) Technology ensures
precise and consistent movements, translating the
digital designs into a physical object. The milling
machine may use different types of cutters such as
ball end mills or end mills,depending on the intricacy of
design
 The milling Machines ability to work with different wax
formulation allows for flexibility in achieving the
desired result
 Accuracy is paramount in milling wax especially in
dental application where a minor deviation can impact
the fit and functionality of a dental restoration. The
CNC controlled machine can achieve tolerance
measured in micrometers ensuring a precise
replication of digital design
 Additionally, the use of milling wax reduces the need
for manual labor, resulting in increased efficiency and
cost-effectiveness. Traditional hand carving is time-
consuming and may introduce human errors, whereas
CNC milling machines can tirelessly execute complex
designs with minimal intervention. This not only
accelerates the production process but also minimizes
the likelihood of imperfections in the final product.
Recent Advances
 Light cured wax- The metacon light cured wax is a unique
chemical composition of cracked carbon chains with photo
initiator attached to both end carbon chain pieces. These
conditioned acrylic part then mixed with specially formulated
wax.
 The light cured metacon material has a memory which
means when it flexed it always goes back its original position
it has been polymerized into.
 Scan wax- Scan wax for CAD/CAM is a specially formulated
laser opaque and light opaque wax for sculpturing according
to CAD/CAM procedure
 REFERENCES
1. Kenneth J Anusavice. Philips’ Science of
Dental Materials . 11th edition
2. Craig’s restorative Dental Materials.
12th edition
3. William J. O'brien. Dental Materials And Their
Selection- 3rd Edition
4. International Journal Dental and Medical Sciences
ResearchVolume 5, Issue 1, Jan-Feb 2023 pp 753-763
www.ijdmsrjournal.com ISSN: 2582-6018
49