Dental Restoration - Materials Used in Dental Restorations

Materials Used in Dental Restorations

These casting alloys are mostly used for making crowns, bridges and dentures. Titanium, usually commercially pure but sometimes a 90% alloy, is used as the anchor for dental implants as it is biocompatible and can integrate into bone.

Precious metallic alloys

• gold (high purity: 99.7%)
• gold alloys (with high gold content)
• gold-platina alloy
• silver-palladium alloy

Base metallic alloys

• cobalt-chrome alloy
• nickel-chrome alloy

Amalgam

• Silver amalgam (Consists of mercury (50%), silver (~22-32% ), tin (~14%), copper (~8%), and other trace metals)

Dental Amalgam is widely used because of the ease of fabricating the plastic material into rigid direct fillings, completed in single appointment, with acceptable strength, hardness, corrosion, and toxicity properties. It is more forgiving of preparation and technique than composite resins used for that purpose. It is now mainly used for posterior teeth. Although the mercury in cured amalgam is not available as free mercury, concern of its toxicity has existed since the invention of amalgam as a dental material; it is banned or restricted in Norway, Sweden and Finland. See Dental Amalgam Controversy.

Direct Gold

• Gold

Although rarely used, due to expense and specialized training requirements, gold foil can be used for direct dental restorations.