Materials used in prosthetic dentistry must meet the following requirements: be biocompatible, resist all possible impacts of the oral environment, ensure a strong and constant bonding to hard dental tissues, fully reproduce their appearance, exhibit a complex of physicomechanical properties consistent with the properties of the natural tissues to be restored, and promote treatment and regeneration. All materials are divided into two groups: main and auxiliary. Main materials are used to produce all types of prosthetic structures: single crowns, dental bridges, removable prostheses, splints, post and cores, inlays, veneers. These include metal alloys, plastics, and ceramics. Auxiliary materials are used at various stages of the prostheses production. These include impression materials, casting and modelling materials, packing, sanding, polishing heads and pastes, cements. The main and auxiliary materials are presented in Table 1.1.
Table 1.1. Main and auxiliary materials used in prosthetic dentistry
| Dental materials |
| Main | Auxiliary |
| Metals | Polymers | Ceramic | Polymers | Low melting-point metals | Wax | Gypsum |
The technology of production of dental prostheses includes clinical and laboratory stages (Table 1.2).
Table 1.2. Stages of dental prostheses production
| Stage of production of an dental prosthesis | Materials used |
| Clinical stages | Preparation of teeth, taking impressions | Impression materials |
| Try-in | Polishing heads and pastes |
| Fixing the prosthesis | Cements and adhesive systems |
| Laboratory steps | Model making | Gypsum |
| Fabrication of a wax duplicate denture | Waxes |
| Replacing the wax with a construction material | Packing masses, metals, plastics |
| Treatment of metal frames or finished removable prostheses | Polishing heads and pastes |
| Metal frame coating | Metals, ceramics, plastics |
| Final polishing and sanding | Polishing heads and pastes |
Dental prosthesis production process begins with taking an impression by a prosthodontist. Based on the obtained impression, diagnostic and working models are made of gypsum. A dental technician in the laboratory makes a prosthesis using a working model.
At the initial stages, the prosthesis is made of modeling materials, with wax being the primary option. Then the wax is replaced with a structural material, plastic or metal alloy. Replacement is carried out after the production of a master cast, for which medical gypsum or molding materials are used. After replacing the wax in the denture model with the structural material, the finished prosthesis is removed from the mold, cleaned of the remaining molding mass, and polished (Fig. 1.1).
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Fig. 1.1. Stages of production of dental prostheses and auxiliary materials for each stage
Each material has certain properties. Metals and their alloys are used in prosthetic dentistry when the prosthesis must withstand significant mechanical loads (Fig. 1.2).
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Fig. 1.2. Metal alloys for the production of dental prostheses
Ceramic has a light color and translucency. Therefore, it can be used to create esthetic dentures that reproduce the appearance of natural teeth (Fig. 1.3).
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Fig. 1.3. Ceramic blocks for production of all-ceramic dental prostheses
Dental polymers in prosthetic dentistry are used for production of fixed appliances, removable prostheses, as well as auxiliary materials. In dentistry, chemically different materials are often combined.