This document discusses various types of waxes used in dentistry, their compositions, properties, and applications. It covers natural waxes like beeswax, paraffin wax, and carnauba wax as well as synthetic waxes. Key waxes discussed include inlay pattern wax, casting wax, and baseplate wax. Inlay pattern wax is a blend designed to have good flow properties at mouth temperature as well as dimensional stability when solidified. Casting wax is used to make patterns for crowns and bridges and must vaporize completely during the burnout process. Baseplate wax is pink-colored and formulated to be soft enough to establish jaw relations during initial denture fabrication.

1. WAXES IN DENTISTRY
Presented By : Arpit Viradiya
Guided By : Dr. Ashutosh Paliwal
Dr. Sandeep Metgud

2. Contents
• Introduction
• Waxes
• Gums
• Fats
• Resins
• Characteristics properties of waxes
– Melting Range
– Thermal Expansion
– Mechanical Properties
– Flow
– Residual Stress
– Ductility

3. • Dental Waxes
– Inlay Pattern Wax
• Composition
• Properties
• Flow
• Thermal Coefficient of Expansion
• Warpage of Wax Patterns
– Casting Wax
• Physical characteristics

4. • Resin Modeling Material
• Baseplate Wax
– Composition
– Physical Characteristics
• Boxing Wax
• Utility Wax
• Sticky Wax
• Carding Wax
• Corrective Impression Wax
• Occlusal (Bite) Registration Wax

5. Introduction
• The word "wax" is derived from the old
English "weax" for the honeycomb of the bee-
hive.
• Waxes have versatile role to play in dentistry,
few procedures in restorative dentistry cannot
be completed without the use of wax in one
of its many forms.

6. History
• The oldest wax used by people were the
beeswax.
• Over 60 million years ago, the insects wax
production was already accepted by people as
a diet source.
• First inlay in dentistry is credited to “John
murphy” of london,who was fabricating
porcelain inlay in 1855.

7. • In 1880, Ames used a burnished-foil technique for
fabrication of inlays.
• First cast inlay is attributed to “philbrook”-1897
• “Taggart” in 1907 introduced lost wax technique.
• First synthetic liquid paraffins were produced
according to the Fischer-Trop’s procedure in
1935.

8. Definition
• ACCORDING TO ANUSAVICE—
• “A low molecular weight ester of fatty acids
with monohydrate alcohol derived from
natural and synthetic components such as
petroleum derivatives that softens to a plastic
state at a relatively low temperature “.

9. • Dental wax : A mixture of two or more waxes
with other additives, used in dentistry for casts,
construction of nonmetallic denture bases,
registering of jaw relations, and laboratory work.
– Dorland's Medical Dictionary for Health
Consumers. © 2007 by Saunders, an imprint of
Elsevier

10. Mineral
Paraffin
Microcrystalline
BamsdahI
Ozokerite
CereSin
Montan
Plant
Carnauba
Ouricury
Candelilla
Japan wax
Cocoa butter
Insect
Beeswax
Animal
Spermaceti
Natural waxes
Acrawax
Aerosol-OT
Castor wax
Flexowax
Epolene
Albacer
Aldo-33
Durawax
Synthetic Waxes
Stearic acid
Glyceryl –
Tistearate
Oils
Turpentine
Colorants
Natural resins
Rosin
copal
dammar
shellac
Synthetic resins
poly-
-styrene
Additives
Restorative dental materials: CRAIG & POWERS

11. Waxes
• Dental waxes may be composed of natural and
synthetic waxes, gums, fats, fatty acids, oils,
natural and synthetic resins, and pigments.
• The particular working characteristics of each
wax are achieved by blending the appropriate
natural and synthetic waxes, resins and other
additives.

12. • Natural waxes are distributed in nature
whereas synthetic waxes are produced by
combination of various chemicals in
laboratory.
• The additives may be natural minerals and
synthetic products.

13. Natural Waxes
• Mineral-Plant-Insect-Animal
• The chief constituent of most of the mineral
waxes are hydrocarbons
Ranging 17 to 44 carbon atoms:
CH3-(CH2)-CH3
15-42
• The hydrocarbons in the plant waxes are
saturated alkanes with 19 to 31 carbon atoms
present in odd numbers.

14. • Plant and animal waxes contain considerable
concentration of esters
• carnauba ( plant wax) contains 85% alkyl esters of
various kinds.
• The principle esters in beeswax is myricyl
palmitate.
– Which is the reaction product of myricyl
alcohol and palmitic acid.

15. • This brief description about the composition
of natural wax indicates that they are complex
combinations of organic compounds of
reasonably high molecular weights
• Also composition of these waxes varies
• So blending of particular batches of wax is
necessary to obtain the desirable property.

16. Characteristics of each waxes
• Paraffin wax:
– Source :high boiling fractions
of petroleum
– Type :straight chain
hydrocarbon with 26-30
carbon atoms
– Melting range:40-71degrees
– White ,transparent
– Increasing molecular weight
increases melting point

17. – Presence of oils in the wax will lower the
melting point
– Brittle at ambient temperatures
– Crystallize in the form of plates, needles ,
malcrystals
– During solidification & cooling there is
volumetric contraction varying from 11-15%
– In dentistry used as refined waxes & have
<0.5% of oil

18. • Microcrystalline wax:
– Source : also obtained from heavier
oil fractions in petroleum industry
– higher melting range :60-91 degrees
– Type :branched chain hydrocarbon
– Tougher & more flexible than
paraffin
– less volumetric change -paraffin.
– Hardness and the tackiness can be
altered by the additions of oils.

19. • Barnsdahl wax:
– Is microcrystalline wax with
melting range
70-74degrees
– Paraffin: increases the
• Melting range
• Hardness
• Decrease the Flow

20. • Ozokerite :
– Earth wax found near
petroleum deposits of
central Europe and
western united states
– Has straight , closed and
branched chain
hydrocarbons
– Melting range:
65degrees

21. • Has affinity for oil
• Improves the physical properties of paraffin in
melting range of 54 degrees when added in the
amount of 5-15%

22. • Ceresin :
– from natural –mineral petroleum
refining and lignite refining.
– Straight & branched chain
paraffins
– Higher molecular weight
– Greater hardness than
hydrocarbon waxes from crude
products
– Used to increase the melting
range of paraffin waxes

23. • Montan wax:
– are obtained from various
lignite's
– although they are mineral waxes
their composition and
properties are similar to the
plant waxes
– Melting range-72-920 C
– Mixtures of Long Chain esters
from 40 to 58 carbon atoms

24. – Are hard, brittle and lustrous
– Blend well with other waxes.
– Substituted for plant waxes for improving the hardness
and melting range of paraffin waxes

25. • Carnauba & Ouricury waxes:
– Straight chain esters, alcohols, acids,
and hydrocarbons
– High
• Hardness
• Brittleness
• Melting temperatures
– They improve the melting range and
hardness of paraffin wax ;
– raises solid- solid transition
temperature
– Melting range
• Carnauba: 84-910 C
• Ouricury :79-840 C

26. • Candelilla wax:
– Contain 40-60% paraffin, free
alcohols, acids, esters and lactones.
– Melting range : 68-750 C
– Like carnauba they harden the
paraffin wax but are not effective for
increasing the melting range.

27. • Japan wax & Cocoa butter:
– Are not true waxes
– Chiefly fats
– Japan wax:
• contains the glycerides of
palmitic and stearic acid.
• Tough, malleable and sticky.
• Is mixed with paraffin to
improve tackiness and
emulsifying ability
• Melting range: 510 C

28. – Cocoa butter:
• Contains glycerides of palmitic, stearic, oleic, lauric and
lower fatty acids.
• Is brittle at room temperature.
• Is primarily used to protect the soft tissues against
dehydration and also to protect the glass ionomer from
moisture during setting or to protect them from
dehydrating after they are set.

29. • Bees wax:
– Insect wax
– Is a complex mixture of esters
– Melting temperature of 63-700 C.
– Brittle at room temperature but
becomes plastic at body
temperature.
– Modifies properties of paraffin
wax
– Main component of sticky wax.

30. • Spermaceti wax:
– Obtained from sperm whale
– Mainly ester waxes
– Used as a coating in the manufacture of dental
floss

31. Synthetic waxes
• Are complex organic compounds of varied chemical
composition
• Differ from natural wax as they have a high degree of
refinement in contrast to contamination seen in natural waxes
• Include
– Polyethylene waxes
– Polyoxyethylene glycol waxes
– Halogenated hydrocarbon waxes
– Hydrogenated waxes

32. • Polyethylene polymers
– Molecular weight: 2000-4000
– Melting range: 100-1050 C
– Properties similar to high molecular weight
paraffin
• Polyoxyethylene polymers
– Polymer of ethylene glycol
– Melting range :37-630 C
– Limited compatibility with other wax
– Function as plasticizers
– Toughen films of wax

33. Gums
• Many waxes obtained from plants and
animals resemble in appearance to
group of substances described as
gums.
• Most gums are complicated
substances, and when mixed with
water they either dissolve or form
sticky, viscous liquids.
• Gum arabic and tragacanth are two
natural gums that do not resemble
waxes in either their properties or
composition.

34. Fats
• Chemically fats are composed of
esters of various fatty acids with
glycerol and are known as glycerides,
which distinguishes them from waxes.
• Both wax and fats are tasteless
colorless and odorless in their pure
form and feel greasy to touch.
• The fat may be used to increase the
melting range and hardness of
compounded wax

35. Resins
• Most of the resin are from plants and
trees except for shellac (insects)
• Natural resins such as dammar and
kauri when mixed with wax produce
harder products
• Synthetic resins are added to paraffin
waxes to improve their: toughness,
film forming character , melting range

36. Characteristic properties of waxes
• Melting range:
– Waxes consist of several types of molecules , each
having a range of molecular weights
– Hence they have melting ranges rather than
melting points
– M.R. of paraffin:44-620C
– M.R. of carnauba:50-900C

37. Thermal expansion
• Expand when temp. is risen
• Contract when temp. is decreased
• Dental waxes have the largest coefficient of
thermal expansion.
• Temp. change in wax patterns may be a major
contributing factor in inaccuracy of the finished
restoration
• Many waxes exhibit at least two rates of
expansion between 22-520 C

38. Mechanical properties
• The elastic modulus
• Proportional limit and
• Compressive strength
of waxes are low compare with those of other materials
• Depend strongly on the temperature
• Decrease with decrease in temperature
COMPRESSIVE
STRENGTH
ELASTIC
MODULUS
PROPOTIONAL
LIMIT

39. FLOW
• Change of shape or dimension in response to applied
force
• Caused by slippage of long chained wax molecules over
each other
• A measure of flow in the liquid state would be
synonymous with viscosity of the molecules during
movement.
• Below the melting point the measure of flow would be a
measure of the degree of plastic deformation of the
material.

40. RESIDUAL STRESS
• Stress remaining in wax as a result of
manipulation during heating, cooling, bending ,
carving etc.
• The release of stress at higher temperature
causes an irreversible deformation that can
destroy the fit of wax pattern
• Regardless of the method used to prepare the
wax pattern, residual stress exists in the
completed pattern.

41. • To prevent residual stress
– Wax not be carved or burnished at
temperature well below their melting range
– Carve with warm instrument
– Melted wax added in small increments
– Time between finishing and investing should
be minimized

42. DUCTILITY
• It increases as the temperature of the wax is
increased.
• Waxes with a lower melting temperatures have a
greater ductility at any given temperature than
those with a higher melting temperature.
• A blended wax with components having a wide
range of melting ranges generally has greater
ductility

43. Classification
• Pattern wax
– Inlay wax
– Casting wax
– Base plate wax
• Processing wax
– Boxing wax
– Utility wax
– Sticky wax
• Impression wax
– Corrective wax
– Bite plate wax

44. Pattern waxes
• Used to form the general predetermined size
and contour of artificial dental restoration ,
which is to be constructed of a more durable
material.
• 2 major properties:
– Thermal change in dimension
– Tendency to warp or distort on standing

45. Processing waxes
• Used primarily as
auxillary aids in the
construction a
variety of
restorations and
appliances either
clinically or in the
laboratory

46. Impression wax
• Oldest recorded wax
• Use of wax is limited to non-undercut edentulous portion of
the mouth
– Bite registration waxes
– Corrective waxes

47. Inlay pattern waxes
Classification:
 type I (medium)
direct technique
 type II (soft)
indirect technique
Available as: blue, green, purple sticks.
7.5 cm long, 6 mm dia.
Commercial names: harvard, kerr, peck
etc.

48. Composition
• INLAY WAX = Paraffin + Carnuba + Ceresin + Beeswax + gum
dammar +synthetic wax+ Colorants

49. Desirable properties:
 when softened, uniform..
 Colour should contrast..
 No flakiness/ rough surface..
 Complete burn out..
 Rigid, dimensionally stable..

50. Flow:
lacks rigidity
flows at room temp.
do not solidify with space lattice
type I – 1% at 37°C
type I & II- 70-90% at 45°C

51. • Coefficient of thermal
expansion :
• The rate of expansion of type
1 inlay wax is greatest from
just below mouth temp. to
just above 450C
• Knowing amount of
expansion or contraction
allows to judge
compensation necessary to
produce accurate casting

52. Distortion of wax pattern
most serious problem to be faced
Results from -
• thermal changes and release of stresses arising from
contraction, occluded air, and carving
• Inlay waxes tend to return to their original shape
after manipulation ‘ELASTIC MEMORY’

53. • This can be depicted by opening
of a horse – shoe shape molded
inlay wax kept in water after
manipulation.
• So to counteract the property of
distortion, the pattern should
be invested immediately on
removal so as for best fitting of
the casting.
Ref :Phillip’s science of dental
materials -Anusavice

54. CASTING WAX:
type of pattern wax
used to fabrication - CPD
available as: sheets(28-38 guage)
round
half round
half pear
mesh work, shaped
composition : paraffin, ceresin, Beeswax,
resins

55. classification :
 class A (28 gauge)
 class B (30 gauge)
 class C (readymade shapes)

56. • Ductility :
– Has to be high
• They must vaporize at about 500oC with no residue
other than carbon
• Pliable and readily adaptable at 40
o
to 45
o
C
• Shall not be brittle on cooling

57. Base plate wax
• It derives its name from its use on the baseplate tray
in the technique for denture construction
• Used to establish the vertical dimension, the plane of
occlusion, and the initial arch form.
• Pink color provides some esthetic quality in the initial
stage of denture construction.

58. Composition
– 80% ceresin
– 12% beeswax
– 2.5% carnuaba
– 3% natural or synthetic resins
– 2.5% microcrystalline or synthetic wax

59. • Practical requirements
– No irritation of oral tissue
– Softened sheets shall cohere readily without
becoming flaky or adhering to fingers
– Smooth surface after gentle flaming
– Trim easily with a sharp instrument at 23
o
C
– No residue on porcelain or plastic teeth

60. Boxing wax
• Use to form a plaster or stone
cast from an impression of the
edentulous arch.
• Consists of adapting a long
narrow stick or strip of wax
around impression below its
peripheral height followed by a
wide strip of wax producing a
form around entire impression .
• Forms peripheral height.

61. • Should have slight tackiness which allows them to be
attached to each other or to stone models or
impression trays
• In orthodontics these are called as periphery waxes
• Can be easily melted to seal them to the impression
surface
• Composition :
– Bees wax. Paraffin , soft waxes

62. Carding Wax
• Dental literature occasionally
refers to carding wax for use in
boxing operation.
• But it is the material on which
porcelain or acrylic teeth were
fixed when received from the
manufacturer.

63. Utility wax
• Easily workable ,adhesive wax
• Composition
– Bees wax, petrolatum. Other soft waxes
• Used on the
– Lingual portion of bridge pontic to stabilize it
while a labial plaster splint is poured
• Available as stick or sheet form-dark red or orange
• Ductility & flow highest
• Sufficient adhesive at 21-240C

64. Sticky wax
• It is sticky when melt and
adheres closely to the surface
on which it is applied.
• It is firm, free from tackiness
and brittle at room temp..
• Should fracture rather than flow
if it is deformed during soldering
or repair procedures
• Composition
– Rosin , yellow bees wax, low and
high melting resins , coloring
matter, gum dammar

65. Corrective impression wax
• Used as a wax veneer over an original impression to
register the detail of the soft tissue .
• Formulated from hydrocarbon waxes such as
paraffin,ceresin & beeswax
• The flow at 370C is 100 %
• Records mucosa in functional state

66. Bite registration wax
• Used to accurately articulate certain
models of opposing quadrant
• Formulated from beeswax or
hydrocarbon waxes such as paraffin
or ceresin and contain alumina or
copper particle
• 28 gauge wax sheets
• Flow :2.5-22% at 37Deg - susceptible
for distortion on removal from
mouth

67. Conclusion
• Many procedures in dentistry require the use
of waxes .
• A variety of waxes and resins have been used
in dentistry for specific and well defined
applications.
• Restorative dentistry cannot be completed
without use of wax as they are used for some
of the highest precision work in dentistry.

68. References
• Craig RG, Powers JM. Restorative dental
materials .11th edition
• Anusavice KJ. Phillips’ Science of DENTAL
MATERIALS .11th edition
• Combe EC. Notes On Dental Materials .5th
edition
• Anderson JN . Applied Dental Materials .5th
edition

69. Thank You