Dental Waxes Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards reviewing the classification, composition, desirable properties, and clinical applications of dental waxes based on lecture notes.

Dental Wax

A thermoplastic polymer that can be molded with or without a slightly elevated temperature and retains its new shape when cooled to room temperature.

Ideal Burnout Residue

The residual solid left after the burnout phase, which ideally should not exceed $0.10\,\%$ of the specimen's original weight after oxidizing residual carbon to volatile gases.

Coefficient of Thermal Expansion of Wax

The rate of dimensional expansion reported as parts per million of expansion per Celsius degree of temperature rise; waxes have the highest coefficient of thermal expansion of any dental material.

Flow (in dental wax)

The change in shape of wax under an applied force, which is highly dependent on temperature and time.

Residual Stress

Stress remaining in a wax pattern as a result of manipulation during heating and cooling.

Pattern Waxes

A general classification of dental waxes (including inlay wax, casting wax, and baseplate wax) used to fabricate a restoration using the lost-wax technique.

Impression Waxes

Soft waxes (including corrective wax and bite-registration wax) used to make an imprint of the edentulous soft tissue portion of a dental arch or record occlusal relationships.

Processing Waxes

A general classification of dental waxes (including boxing, beading, utility, and sticky wax) used primarily as auxiliary aids in clinical and laboratory procedures.

Inlay Wax

A complex pattern wax supplied in round sticks or tins used to fabricate wax patterns for crowns, inlays, or bridges.

Inlay Wax Composition

A formulation consisting of $60\,\%$ Paraffin Wax, $25\,\%$ Carnauba Wax, $10\,\%$ Ceresin, $5\,\%$ Beeswax, and less than $1\,\%$ Colorants.

Type 1 Inlay Wax

A soft inlay casting wax used for direct wax pattern techniques, exhibiting greater flow than Type 2 wax at temperatures both below and above mouth temperature.

Type 2 Inlay Wax

A harder inlay casting wax used for indirect wax pattern techniques, designed with lower flow values at $37\,^{\circ}\text{C}$ to minimize pattern distortion upon removal.

Casting Wax

A pattern wax available in sheets and ready-made shape forms (such as clasps, bars, and retention forms) used to form the wax pattern of the metal framework of a partial denture.

Lost-Wax Casting Technique

A process used to convert wax patterns into cast metal by surrounding the wax pattern with a heat-resistant investment material mold, eliminating the wax by heating, and introducing molten metal into the mold.

Baseplate Wax

A pattern wax used on a base plate tray to define vertical dimensions, the occlusal plane, and initial arch shape in the fabrication of a complete denture prosthesis.

Baseplate Wax Composition

A formulation consisting of $80\,\%$ Paraffin wax or Ceresin, $12\,\%$ Beeswax, $2.5\,\%$ Carnauba wax, $3\,\%$ Natural or Synthetic resin, and $2.5\,\%$ Microcrystalline wax.

Type I Baseplate Wax

A soft baseplate wax at room temperature used for contouring dentures.

Type II Baseplate Wax

A medium-hardness baseplate wax intended for patterns placed in the mouth in temperate climates.

Type III Baseplate Wax

A hard baseplate wax intended for pattern placement in the mouth in tropical climates.

Corrective Wax

An impression wax formulated with hydrocarbon waxes and castor oil that exhibits $100\,\%$ flow at mouth temperature ($37.5\,^{\circ}\text{C}$), used to register the detail of soft tissues in a functional state.

Bite-Registration Wax

An impression wax made from beeswax or paraffin/ceresin and oils, used to record the occlusal surfaces of teeth to establish maxillo-mandibular relationships.

Boxing Wax

A soft, dark processing wax supplied in sheet form used as a border around the perimeter of an impression to form an enclosed boundary for pouring a cast base.

Utility Wax

A pliable, moldable processing wax supplied in ropes that adheres to dry surfaces at room temperature; used to adjust impression trays and cover sharp orthodontic brackets and wires.

Sticky Wax

A hard and brittle processing wax composed mainly of yellow beeswax, rosin, and natural resins that becomes soft and sticky when heated, used to assemble metallic or resin pieces temporarily.

Occlusal Indicator Wax

A specialized wax used clinically to detect areas of premature occlusal contact between opposing teeth.

Diagnostic Wax

A wax formulated with high stability, low shrinkage, and clean burnout, used for planning and creating esthetic lifelike presentations (diagnostic wax-ups).

Ceresin

A natural mineral wax derived from petroleum refining distillates, consisting of straight and branched chains, used to increase molecular weight, hardness, and melting range in wax mixtures.

Carnauba Wax

A plant wax composed of esters and alcohol with a high melting range ($84\,^{\circ}\text{C}\text{ to }91\,^{\circ}\text{C}$), added to paraffin wax to increase its melting range and hardness.