PHYSICAL

PROPERTIES OF
DENTAL MATERIALS
Submitted by
Dr. Dhananjay Vasudeva
MDS 1st year
 CONTENT :
 Physical properties
 Relationship between properties
 Optical Properties
Hue
Value
Chroma
Metamerism
Flurescence

 Rheology
 Viscosity
 Thixotropicity
 Viscoelasticity
 Time dependent Properties
Creep and Flow
Stress Relaxation
 Thermal Properties
 Tarnish And Corrosion
 Mechanical Properties
 Stress
 Strain
 Modulus of Elasticity
 Yield Strength
 Ultimate strength
 Brittleness
 Ductility & Malleability
 Resilience
 Toughness
 Fatigue strength
 Hardness
Brinell test
Rockwell test
Vickers test
Knoop test
Shore test
 Conclusion
 Referenences
Physical properties
 Physical properties are based on the laws
of mechanics ,optics , thermodynamics ,
electricity , magnetism or atomic structure.
 When substituting one material for another
we must be aware of the requirements
placed on a new material.
 Is the material a good thermal conductor?
 Is it strong enough to bear the forces it is
about to be subjected?
The relationships among the various properties :
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
 COLOR- is a sensation of light reaching
the eye that is based on the laws of optics

 The perception of the color of an object is

the result of a physiological response to a
physical stimulus. The sensation is a
subjective experience , whereas the beam
of light, which is the physical stimulus that
produces the sensation, is entirely
objective.
THREE DIMENSIONS OF COLOR

 They are

- Hue
- Value
- Chroma
 HUE
 Describes the dominant color of an object

 Eg : Red, Green, Blue

 Refers to the dominant wavelengths present in

the spectral distribution
 VALUE
 Is the lightness or darkness of color

 Measured independently of the hue

 Increases towards the top(whiter) and

decreases towards the bottom(black)
CHROMA

 Represent the degree of saturation of a

particular hue

 Is always associated with hue and value

MEASUREMENT OF COLOR
Powers JM, Capp JA, Koran A: J Dent Res 56:112, 1977.)
 MUNSELL COLOR ORDER SYSTEM
The system of choice for color matching in
Dentistry. It’s a 3D color tree, described as a
sphere or cylinder . The three dimensions are:
 Color (Hue)= arranged around the axis, and
subdivided in ten segments.
 Value= lightness or
darkness, within each hue,
arranged in scales. Scales
goes from Value 0 (black) to
Value 10 (white).
 Chroma= purity of strength.
The quality by which we
distinguish a strong color
from a weak one. Colors are
the purest on the outer skin
of the cylinder or sphere,
and become progressively
grayer as they approach the
gray value axis. Ex: adding
gray to red will be perceived
as a less pure red, the
chroma is reduced.
Dental application
 METAMERISM
 Objects that appear to be color matched under one type
of light may appear different under another light source
Dental application
 Quality and intensity of light must be
controlled in matching colours of dental
restoration.

 If possible, color matching should be done

under two or more different light sources,
one of which should be daylight, and the
laboratory shade matching procedures
should be performed under the same
lighting conditions.
 FLUORESCENCE
 The energy that tooth absorbs is converted into longer
wavelengths, in which case the tooth actually becomes light
source

 The emitted light, blue-white color is in

400 – 450 nm range

 It makes a definite contribution to the brightness and vital

appearance of human tooth
 Some anterior restorative materials and dental porcelains are
formulated with fluorescing
agents (rare earths excluding uranium)to reproduce the natural
appearance of tooth
structure.
 DENTAL APPLICATION
 Fluorescence makes a definite
contribution to the brightness and vital
appearance of the tooth.
 As an example , a person with ceramic
crown that lacks a fluorescing agent
appears to have missing teeth when
viewed under a black light in the night
club
 RHEOLOGY
Definition:
It is the study of the flow or
deformation of matter.
Important rheological properties:

 Viscosity
 Visco elasticity
 Time dependent properties
- Creep and Flow
- Stress relaxation
VISCOSITY

Definition:
 Viscosity is the resistance of a fluid to flow.

 Resistance to fluid flow (viscosity) is

controlled by internal frictional forces within
the liquid.

 Thus viscosity is a measure of consistency of

fluid and its inability to flow.
Importance in dental materials

 Many materials are mixed as fluid pastes,

which subsequently solidifies.
 The setting of such materials initially
involves a change in viscosity with time.
 Shear stress(τ) =F/A
Shear strain rate(ε)=V/d

By definition viscosity(η)
Shear stress(τ)
Shear strain rate(ε)

As the shear force increases viscosity increases

and a curve can be obtained.
Further characterization of the rheological
properties of material is obtained by reference
equation
shear stress=K (shear strain)ⁿ

Where K and n are constant

The constant n is referred to as flow index.

To explain the viscous nature of some
materials, a shear stress versus shear strain
rate curve can be plotted.
 NEWTONIAN
Ideal fluid

Flow index (n)=1

Shear stress is directly

proportional to shear
rate.

Viscosity of material is
constant and is
independent of shear
rate.
 PSEUDOPLASTIC

Flow index(n) value is less

than unity.
An increase in shear stress
produces a less than
proportionate increase in
shear strain rate.
Viscosity is effectively
decreased with increasing
shear rate until it reaches
nearly constant value.
 DILATANT
Flow index value is greater than 1.

An increase in shear stress

produces a more than proportionate
increase in shear strain rate.

Thus effectively increasing viscosity.

Liquids become more rigid as the

rate of deformation increases.
 PLASTIC
Some material behave like a
rigid body until some minimum
value of shear stress is
reached.

Represented by the offset

along the shear stress axis

Exhibit rigid behavior initially

and then attain constant
viscosity. Eg: ketchup – a
sharp blow to the bottle is
required to produce initial flow
Thixotropicity
 When some fluids are sheared at steady rate,
viscosity decreases with time. On standing,
the fluid regains its original viscosity.

 It occurs due to structural breakdown and

reformation

 Exhibited by many dental materials. e.g.

dental prophylaxis paste, resin cements,
some impression materials and fluoride gels.
 Thixotropic nature of impression
materials is benificial because the
material does not flow out of the
mandibular impression tray until placed
over dental tissues .
Dental application
 It may determine materials suitability for
given application.
 It is important in determining the best way
to manipulate a material.
 Ideally we want cements and light body
(syringe) impression materials to be
pseudoplastic so that with increasing
shear-strain rate they exhibit a decrease in
viscosity.
 Poor rheological properties:
No well defined working time.

Ideal rheological properties:

A well defined working time ‘t’
followed by sudden setting.

Good rheological properties:

Definite working time ‘t’ followed by
gradual setting.
VISCOELASTICITY
 Materials which have combination of viscous
and elastic properties are called viscoelastic
materials.
 In an elastic material the pattern of recovery
follows the stress –strain curves, that is, stress
is proportional to strain.
 In viscous materials this value is time
dependent, with increasing load, higher rates of
strain is obtained.
 A viscoelastic material shows both these
properties.
Dental application
 Polymers like soft relining materials and
denture base polymers exhibit
viscoelastic behavior.

 The aqueous and non aqueous

elastomeric impression materials , being
viscoelastic, should be removed from
mouth with a snap to minimize
permanent deformation.
Time dependent properties
 Certain dental materials deform slowly with
time under static load. This is of significance
because these changes occur overtime and can
affect the use of the material.
 Time dependent properties are:

1.Creep and Flow

2.Stress relaxation
CREEP
 Definition:
Time dependent plastic deformation.
 Types :

Static

Dynamic
Static and dynamic creep
 Static creep : It is a time-dependent
deformation produced in a completely
set solid subjected to a constant stress.

 Dynamic creep : It is the time-

dependent deformation produced when
the applied stress is fluctuating such as
a fatigue type stress or masticatory
forces.
Dental application

 Creep may also lead to an unacceptable fit of

fixed partial denture frameworks when a cast
alloy with poor creep resistance is veneered
with porcelain at relatively high temperature.
Flow

 The term flow rather than creep, has

generally been used to describe the
rheology of amorphous material such as
wax.

 The flow of wax is a measure of its

potential to deform under static load, even
that associated with its own mass.
Dental application

 Type I: Inlay wax should have minimum flow at

37o C --permits carving and removal of pattern
from prepared cavity.

 It should have maximum flow at 45o C _ the wax

is inserted into the prepared cavity.
Stress relaxation

Substance permanently deformed (plastic

deformation)
↓
Trapped internal stress
↓
system is not in equilibrium
↓
unstable
↓
Atoms move back slowly to their equilibrium position
↓
Change in shape or contour
↓
Material warps or distorts

This slow recovery is called stress relaxation

Dental application

 Waxes like inlay wax and impression wax

when left for a long time undergo distortion
due to stress relaxation and may result in
inaccurate fit of dental appliances.
 Thermal Properties:

Thermal Conductivity:

 It is the amount of heat in calories or joules

passing per second through a body 1cm thick,
1cm2 cross sectional area when the temperature
difference is 1°C
Clinical application :
 Metallic denture base materials
Thermal Coefficient of expansion( α)
 The change in length per unit length of the material
for a 1°C change in temperature is called the linear
coefficient of thermal expansion(α)

 α= L final- L original
L original x (°C final- °C original)
Clinical importance in Dentistry:
 Porcelain and metal in metallceramic restorations (crowns and
bridges) to provide metal ceramic bonding.

Brittle fracture (arrows) of ceramic (dental porcelain) due to mismatch in the

coefficient of thermal expansion between porcelain and metal.
 Heat of fusion

Heat of fusion (L) is the amount of heat in calories or
joules required to convert l gm of a material from the solid
to the liquid state at the melting temperature.

It is calculated as follows:
Q Where L: is the heat of fusion.
L = ---------------- Q: is the total heat absorbed.
m m: mass of the substance melted

 As long as the mass is molten, the heat of fusion is retained by the

liquid. When the liquid is frozen or solidified, this heat is
liberated. It is called "Latent heat of fusion".
 Latent heat of fusion
 It is the amount of heat in calories or joules liberated when 1
gm of a material is converted from liquid to solid state.
 Practical applications it is apparent that the larger the mass
of material being melted, the more heat required to change
the mass to liquid . When the change in state occurs, it is
always necessary to apply additional heat to the mass to
cause liquefaction, and as long as the mass remains molten,
the heat of fusion is retained by the liquid. When the mass is
frozen, or solidified, the heat that was retained in the liquid
state is liberated.
 Importance in dentistry:
 During casting, the metal must be heated 100 °C more than
its melting temperature for proper melting
Specific heat
 It is the quantity of heat needed to raise the temperature of
one gram of the substance by1°C
 Water is the standard substance and 1gm std. mass
 Metals have low specific heat, while non metals have high
specific heat

 Importance in dentistry:
 Because of the low specific heat of dental gold alloys,
prolonged heating is unnecessary, during casting .
 Less specific properties
 Water Sorption: It represents the amount of water
adsorbed on the surface and absorbed into the body
of the material.
 Importance:
 Acrylic resin denture base materials have the
tendency for water sorption.
 Hydrocolloid impression materials will imbibe water if
immersed in it leading to dimensional changes.
Tarnish
Definition:
Is a surface discoloration on a metal or even
a slight loss or alteration of the surface finish
or luster.
 Tarnish generally occurs in the oral cavity due
to:
 Formation of hard and soft deposits, e.g.
calculus, mucin, plaque

 Pigment producing bacteria, produce stains

 Formation of thin films of oxides, sulfides or

chlorides.
Corrosion
 It is not a surface discoloration but
actual deterioration of a metal by
reaction with the environment.

 Tarnish is often the forerunner of

corrosion.

 In due course it may lead to rapid

mechanical failure of the structure.
Corrosion attack in the oral cavity is due to:

 Water, oxygen, chloride ions, sulfides like

hydrogen sulfide or ammonium sulfide.

 Various acid such as phosphoric, acetic

and lactic acid
Chemical or dry corrosion
 In which metal reacts to form oxides,
sulfides in the absence of electrolyte.

 Example :
 Formation of Ag2S in dental alloys
containing silver.
 Oxidation of alloy particles in dental
amalgam.
Electrolytic
or
Electrochemical
or
Wet corrosion
Types of electrolytic corrosion
 Galvanic corrosion

 Corrosion due to Heterogenous composition

 Stress corrosion
Galvanic corrosion
 When combination of dissimilar metals are
in direct physical contact.

 Saliva with its salt provides a weak

electrolyte.
 Dental application
 Galvanic shock – gold
restoration comes in contact
with amalgam restoration.
 Painting a varnish on the
surface of amalgam
 Best procedure is to avoid
dissimilar metal in contact
Heterogenous compositions

 Due to heterogenous composition of the

metal surface.

 It occurs within the structure of the

restoration itself.
Dental application
 Solder joints may corrode due to
inhomogenous composition. (bw alloy and
solder)
 Homogenization improves the corrosion
resistance
Stress corrosion
 When a dental appliance is subjected to
stress in the presence of an electrolyte
like saliva it develops stress corrosion.

 Surface irregularities can further

accelerate the procedure.

 This results in constant fatigue and with

time failure occurs.
 Dental application
 Repeated removal and placement of removable partial
denture creates stresses and leads to fracture of clasp.

 Cold working of an alloy by bending, burnishing or

malleting causes localized permanent deformation in some
parts of the appliance.Electrochemical cells
consisting of more deformed metal regions(anodic) , saliva
and undeformed or less deformed regions (cathodic) , are
created and the deformed regions will experienxe corrosion
attack .
Protection against corrosion
 Passivation : chromium, titanium,
aluminium

 Increasing noble metal content

 Polishing

 Avoid dissimilar metal restoration

MECHANICAL
PROPERTIES OF
DENTAL MATIREALS

 Submitted by
 Dr. Dhananjay Vasudeva
 MDS 1st year
 MECHANICAL
PROPERTIES
 Mechanical properties are defined by
laws of mechanics that is physical
science that deals with energy and
forces and their effects on bodies.
 Force is generated through one body
pushing or pulling on another. A force is
defined by three characteristics: point of
application,magnitude, and direction of
application .
 One of the most important applications of
materials science in dentistry is in the study
of forces applied to teeth and dental
restorations
 Biting forces on adult teeth decrease from
the molar region to the incisors, with forces
on the
 first and second molars varying from 400 to
 800 N. The average force on the bicuspids,
cuspids,
 and incisors is about 300, 200, and 150 N,
 respectively.
 Force measurements on patients with
removable partial dentures are in the
range of 65 to
 235 N. For patients with complete
dentures, the average force on the
molars and bicuspids was about 100 N,
whereas the forces on the incisors
averaged 40 N.
 Equally important to the study of forces
on natural dentition is the measurement
of forces and stresses on restorations
such as inlays, fixed bridges, removable
partial dentures, and complete
dentures.
STRESS
 defined as the force acting per unit area
over a millions of atom or molecules in a
given plane of a material
 It is expressed as Megapascals in SI
system and Psi (Pounds per square inch)
in english system
 TYPES OF STRESS

FORCE DEFORMATION

TENSILE

COMPRESSION

SHEAR

TORSION

BENDING
 Tension results in a body when it is subjected to two
sets of forces directed away from each other in the
same straight line.
 Compression results when the body is subjected to two
sets of forces directed toward each other in the same
straight line
 shear is the result of two sets offorces directed parallel
to each other.
 Torsion results from the twisting of a body
 Bending results from an applied bending moment.
 When tension is applied, the molecules making up the
body must resist being pulled apart. When compression
is applied, they resist being forced more closely
together. As a result of a shear stress application, one
portion of the body must resist sliding past another.
 An example of the complexity and varying
direction and magnitude of stresses in the oral
cavity in which a photoelastic model of a three-
unit bridge has been loaded in compression by
the opposing occlusion occlusal surface of the
bridge is subjected alternately to areas of
compression and tension, whereas the gingival
portion of the pontic is under tensile stress. The
soldered joints, however, are under both tensile
and shear stress.
 STRAIN

 Change in length per unit original length

 It is the relative deformation of an object subjected to
stress.
 It can be:
 Elastic stress (reversible)
 plastic stress(permanent deformation)
 DENTAL APPLICATION
 When a prosthetic component such as a clasp
arm on partial denture is deformed past the
elastic limit into the plastic deformation region
only the elastic strain is recovered when the
force is released.
 Thus when adjustment is made by bending
margin of a metal crown or a denture clasp,the
plastic strain is permanent but the margin or a
denture clasp springs back a certain amount
as elastic strain recovery occurs.
 PROPORTIONAL LIMIT and
ELASTIC LIMIT
 The proportional limit is defined as the greatest
 stress that a material will sustain without a
deviation from the linear proportionality of stress to
strain. Below the proportional limit, no permanent
deformation occurs in a structure. When the stress
is removed, the structure will return to its original
dimensions.
 The elastic limit is defined as the maximum

stress that a material will withstand without

permanent deformation
 MODULUS OF ELASTICITY
The elastic modulus, also referred to as modulus of elasticity or Young's
modulus, is denoted by the variable E. The elastic modulus represents
the stiffness of a material within the elastic range .
It is defined as

tensile stress / tensile strain = E

or
compressive stress / compressivestrain = E
E, constant of proportionality called as youngs modulus

 Materials such as rubber and plastics have low values for the elastic
modulus, whereas many metals and alloys have much higher values .
YIELD STRENGTH
 The yield strength is defined as the stress at
which a material exhibits a specified limiting
deviation from proportionality of stress to
strain.
 Or it can be described as the stress
required to produce a given amount of
plastic strain
 This yield stress is slightly higher than that
for the proportional limit and also indicates a
specified amount of deformation.
 For example: a bridge that is permanently deformed
through the application of excessive biting forces
would be shifted out of the proper occlusal
relation for which it was originally designed. The
prosthesis becomes permanently deformed because
a stress equal to or greater than the yield
strength was developed.
For example, in the
process of shaping an orthodontic appliance or
adjusting a clasp on a removable partial denture,
it may be necessary to introduce a stress into the
structure in excess of the yield strength if the
material is to be permanently bent or adapted.
Values of yield strength for some partial
denture alloys

Material Yeild strength

Ni-Cr alloy 690

Co-Cr alloy 572

Au (type IV) 621

ULTIMATE STRENGTH
 The ultimate tensile strength or stress is
defined as the maximum stress that a
material can withstand before failure
in tension, whereas the ultimate
compressive strength orstressis the
maximum stress a material can
withstand in compression
 The ultimate strength of an alloy is used
in
 dentistry to give an indication of the size
or cross
 section required for a given restoration
PERCENTAGE ELONGATION
 The deformation that results from the
application of a tensile force is elongation.
Elongation is extremely important because
it gives an indication of the workability of an
alloy. An alloy that has a high value for total
elongation can be bent permanently
without danger of fracture. Clasps can be
adjusted, orthodontic appliances can be
prepared,and crowns or inlays can be
burnished if they are prepared from alloys
with high values for elongation.
POISSON’S RATIO
 Under tensile loading, as a material
elongates in the direction of load, there
is a reduction in cross section. Under
compressive loading, there is an
increase in the cross section. Within the
elastic range, the ratio of the lateral to
the axial strain is called Poisson's ratio
(v).
 Brittle substances such as hard gold
alloys and dental amalgam show little
permanent reduction in cross section
during a tensile test. More ductile
materials such as soft gold alloys, which
are high in gold content, show a high
degree of reduction in cross sectional
area.
BRITTLENESS

 Is the relative inability of a material to sustain

plastic deformation before fracture
 It fractures at or near its proportional limit
 Eg: amalgam, ceramics, composites
DUCTILITY AND MALLEABILITY
 It is the ability of a material to sustain permanent
deformation without fracture under compression -
MALLEABILITY
 It represent the ability of a material to sustain a large
permanent deformation under a tensile load without
rupture – DUCTILITY
 It is interesting that gold and silver, used extensively
in dentistry, are the most malleable and ductile of the
metals, but other metals do not follow the same order
for both malleability
and ductility. In general, metals tend to be
ductile, whereas ceramics tend to be brittle.
RESILIENCE
 Resilience is the resistance of a material
to permanent deformation. It indicates the
amount of energy necessary to deform the
material to the proportional limit.
Resilience is therefore measured by the
area under the elastic portion of the
stress-strain curve .
TOUGHNESS
 Toughness, which is the resistance of a
material to fracture, is an indication of
the amount of energy necessary to
cause fracture.
 The area under the elastic and plastic
portions of a stressstrain curve .
 Toughness therefore represents the
energy required to stress the material to
the point of fracture
 FATIGUE STRENGTH
 Fatigue is defined as a progressive fracture
under repeated loading the fatigue strength is
the stress at which a material fails under
repeated loading. Structures such as complete
dentures, implants, and metal clasps of
removable partial dentures, which are placed in
the mouth by forcing the clasps over the teeth,
are examples of restorations that undergo
repeated
loading.
 Stress application occurs during mastication
and removing the restoration from the mouth or
placing it back in position . Because dental
materials can be subjected to moderate
stresses repeated a large number of times, it is
important in the design of a restoration to know
what stress it can withstand for a
predetermined number of
cycles. Restorations should be designed so the
clinical cyclic stresses are below the fatigue
limit.
 HARDNESS
 Based on its ability to resist scratching
 It is based on the principle of “resistance to
indentation”
 Tests used in determining the hardness of the
material are
- Brinell
- Rockwell
- Vickers
- Knoop
 BRINELL HARDNESS TEST

 One of the oldest tests

 A hardened steel bar is pressed
under a specified load into the
polished surface
 The load is divided by the
projected indentation
 Used in determining hardness of
metals and proportional limit of
gold
ROCKWELL HARDNESS TEST

 Similar to brinell test

 A conical diamond
point is used
 The depth of
penetration is
measured by a dial
gauge
 Widely used but not
suitable for brittle
materials
 VICKERS HARDNESS
TEST
 A diamond shape of a square-
based pyramid is used
 Load is divided by the
projected area of indentation
 The lengths of the diagonal are
measured and averaged
 Used in determining gold alloys
and brittle materials
KNOOP HARDNESS
TEST
 A diamond indenting tool
is used
 The impression is
rhombic and the length of
largest diagonal is
measured
 Values of both hard and
soft materials can be
obtained by this test
 Barcol Hardness

 Test Barcol hardness is one method used to

study the depth of cure of
resin composites. The Barcol indenter is a
spring loaded needle with a diameter of 1 mm
that is pressed against the surface to be tested.
If no penetration of the needle into the surface
occurs, the scale reads 100. The reading on the
scale decreases as the indenter penetrates the
surface.
SHORE HARDNESS TEST
 This test is used to determine hardness of rubbers .

 An instrument called a Shore A Durometer is used in the

rubber industry to determine the relative hardness of
elastomers.

 The instrument consists of a blunt-pointed indenter 0.8

mm in diameter that tapers to a cylinder 1.6 mm. The
indenter is attached by a lever to a scale that is
graduated from 0 to 100 units. If the indenter completely
penetrates the specimen, a reading of 0 is obtained, and
if no penetration occurs, a reading of 100 units results.
The test has been used to evaluate soft denture liners,
mouth protectors and maxillofacial elastomer
Conclusion
 A knowledge of physical and mechanical
properties of dental materials is
important for :
 Material selection
 Component design
 Long term function of dental prosthesis
REFERNECES :
 Restorative Dental Materials – 11th
Edition.Robert G. Craig & John M.
Powers
 Phillip”s Dental Materials & Their
Selection – 3rd Edition William J.
O’Brein
 Science of dental materials
Anusavice - Eleventh edition.