WAXES Key Terms

Baseplate Wax

typically contains approximately 75% paraffin or ceresin

wax, beeswax other waxes, and resins.

Baseplate Wax

Dental wax provided in sheet form to establish the initial arch form in the construction of complete dentures

Bite wax

Wax form used to record the occlusal surfaces of the teeth as an aid in establishing maxillo-mandibular relationships

Boxing wax

Wax sheet form used as a border at the perimeter of an impression to provide an enclosed boundary for the base of the cast to be made from a poured materials such as gypsum or resin

Burnout

Process of heating an invested mold to eliminate the embeddded wax or plastic pattern

Corrective wax (dental impression wax)

A thermoplastic wax that is used to make a type of dental impression

Dental wax

A low-molecular-weight ester of fatty acids derived from natural or synthetic components, such as petroleum derivatives, that soften to a plastic state at a relatively low temperature.

Dental wax

A mixture of two or more waxes and additives used as an aid for the production of gypsum casts, production of nonmetallic denture bases, registering of jaw relations, and laboratory work.

Direct wax technique

A process whereby a wax pattern is prepared in mouth directly on prepared teeth

Divesting

Process of removing investment from a cast metal or hot-pressed ceramic

Elastic memory

Tendency of a solid wax form to partially return to its original shape when it is stored at a higher temperature than that to which it was cooled

Flow

Relative ability of wax to plastically deform when it is heated slightly above body temperature

Hygroscopic expansion

Amount of setting expansion that occurs when a gypsum-bonded casting investment is immersed in water, which is usually heated to approximately 38 degrees Celsius.

Indirect wax technique

Procedure in which a wax is prepared on a die

Inlay wax

A specialized dental wax that can be applied to dies to form direct or indirect patters for the lost-wax technique, which is used for the casting of metals or hot pressing of ceramics

Refractory

Capable of sustaining exposure to a high temperature without significant degradation

Sprue

The mold channel through which molten metal or ceramic flows into a mold cavity

Sprued wax pattern

A wax form consisting of the prothesis pattern and the attached sprue network

Sticky wax

A type of dental wax that exhibits high adhesion to dry, clean surfaces when it is heated to a plastic condition.