IMPRESSION MATERIALS

LECTURE BY-
DR. KRISHNA PRIYADARSHANI
DEPARTMENT OF PROSTHODONTICS AND
CRIWN AND BRIDGE 1
CONTENT

1. INTRODUCTION
2. DEFINITION
3. HISTORY
4. IDEAL REQUIREMENTS
5. CLASSIFICATION
6. IMPRESSION MATERIALS – TYPES
7. RECENT ADVANCES
8. CONCLUSION
9. REFERENCES

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INTRODUCTION
 Impression materials are a critical component in the field of dentistry, playing a fundamental role in the
creation of accurate dental restorations, prosthetics, and appliances.

 Over the years, a variety of impression materials have been developed and refined, each with specific
properties and applications. Each of these materials offers distinct advantages and limitations, making them
suitable for different types of dental impressions and clinical situations.

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WHAT IS AN IMPRESSION?

A negative likeness or copy in reverse of the surface of an

object; an imprint of the teeth and adjacent structures for use in
dentistry.

- GPT 10

IMPRESSION MATERIAL
Any substance or combination of substances used for making an impression or negative reproduction.

- GPT 10

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History
 Before middle of 18th centuary, no methods available for producing impression of alveolar ridges. Widely used
method- painting of ridges with dye.

1. Bees Wax

2. Gutta percha- By Montgomery in 1842 ( used as impression material in 1848)

Popularity was shortlived due to its – High working temperature and stiffness.

3. Plaster of paris- By Wescott, Dwinelle, Dunning in 1844

1862- Franklin- Described first corrected impression . He used wax for preliminary impression followed
by plaster wash. (procedure widely used until early 1900s).

4. Impression compound( modeling plastic)- By Charles Stens of England in 1857.

1915- Rupert Hall-Perfected first moderate heat modeling plastic for making individual impression
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trays and introduced the correctable modeling plastic- plaster technique that almost immediately become a
standard method for making impression.
5. Fluid wax techniquie- By Everett in 1922 ( closed mouth procedure).

6. Agar- (By Alphous Poller in 1925).

7. Zinc oxide eugenol impression paste- ( by A.W Ward and E.B. Kelly in 1930).

8. Alginate- early 1940s (during world war 2 when algae used to manufacture agar was unavailable , Americans used
local algae to manufacture another elastic impression material).

9. Elastomeric impression material

•1950s: Polysulfide Rubber (byWilliam T. Sweeney).
- Long setting time and strong odor, and has been replaced by more user-friendly materials.
•1960s: Condensation Silicone (Developed by various manufacturers).
- Produces alcohol as a by-product, causing shrinkage.
•1960s: Polyether (Introduced by 3M ESPE).
- Stiff material makes it difficult to remove from the mouth, compared to more flexible alternatives.
•1970s: Addition Silicone (Polyvinyl Siloxane) Developed by various manufacturers.
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- Widely used today due to its superior properties; considered a standard material in many practices.
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BASED ON MODE OF ELASTICITY

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BASED ON SETTING AND ELASTICITY

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Inelastic impression materials

1. Impression Plaster

2. Impression Compound

3. Impression Paste

4. Impression Waxes

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 IMPRESSION PLASTER
 One of the earliest impression materials in dentistry.
 Type -1 gypsum product.
 Because of its rigidity, it often had to be fractured to remove it from undercut areas of the mouth.
 Not used currently, because of its brittle nature.
 Impression plaster sometimes contains potato starch to make it soluble. The starch swells and the
impression disintegrates, making it easy to separate the cast. This type is often called soluble
plaster.

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 Composition

1. Beta calcium sulfate hemihydrate (When mixed with water forms calcium sulfate dihydrate).
2. Accelerator - Potassium sulfate — reduces expansion & and accelerates setting.
3. Retarder - Borax, citrate & acetates — prolong setting time.
4. Potato starch.
5. Flavoring agents.

Uses
 For making an impression in complete denture and maxillofacial
prosthetics.
 Bite registration material.

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Advantages:
 Cheap and long shelf life.
 Very good surface detail reproduction.
 Excellent dimensional stability.
 Absorbs palatal secretions during setting.

Disadvantages:
 Very rigid — often needs to be fractured when removed from the mouth.
 Cannot be used to compress tissues.
 In very wet mouth, surface of plaster tends to be washed away spoiling the surface details.
 Exothermic setting reaction.
 Separating media used may obliterate some details.

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 Impression Compound
 It can be described as a rigid, reversible impression material which sets by physical change.
• Also called "modeling plastic“.
• Thermoplastic material.
• Supplied in the form of cakes (red) and sticks (green, gray, or red).

Application:

 Edentulous arch impression.

 For making special tray.

 Border molding.

 For individual tooth impression.(tube impression)

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 Composition
Natural resins 40% Thermoplastic
Waxes 7% Thermoplastic
Fillers (Talc) 50% Strengthen the principle ingredient
Stearic acid 3% Lubricant, Plasticizer
Pigments - Colour
Shellac & Gutta percha - Plasticizer

Types of impression compound

Type I – Low fusing Type II – High fusing

Softens at 50 - 60º C Softens at 70º C

• Used to make primary impression with Used as a tray compound to hold

stock tray. secondary impression
• For border molding.
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Properties
 Fusion Temperature (43.5ºC).

 Low thermal conductivity.

 Linear thermal contraction – 0.3 – 0.4%

 Glass transition temperature - 39ºC

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Color coding –Based on melting temp.

1. Green – 50.0º – 51.1ºC

- Most popular: Easy flow & good handling properties.

2. Grey – 53.3º - 54.4ºC

3. Brown – 54.4º – 55.6ºC

- For extending short borders of custom trays.

4. White – 55.5º-56.6ºC

5. Black – 56.1º-57.2ºC

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Dimensional stability

 Avoiding over or prolonged heating.

 Adequate flow to allow close adaptation to tissues and minimum of internal stress in impression.

 The tray, copper band or other container used to convey the compound to the mouth must be strong,

rigid and stable.

 Impression should be withdrawn from mouth only after its hardened throughout.

 Cast or die should be made as soon as possible to avoid inaccuracies caused by release of stress.

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Advantages:
• Material can be reused several times.

• Inaccurate portions can be remade without having to remake the entire impression.

• Accuracy can be improved by flaming surface material.

Disadvantages:
• Distortion due to poor dimensional stability.

• Compress soft tissue while making an impression.

• Difficult to remove if there are undercuts.

• Difficult to record details because of high viscosity.

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 Zinc-oxide Eugenol Impression Paste

 Popular material for making an impression of edentulous arches, surgical dressing, and bite registration paste.
 It is classified as a rigid, irreversible impression material.
 It cannot be used for recording impressions of dentate arches and in the areas of severe undercut.

Applications of Zinc oxide eugenol impression paste:

 Final impression of edentulous ridges.

 As a wash impression with another impression.

 As an interocclusal registration material.

 As a denture relining material.

 As a surgical dressing. 22
composition

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 Mixing time – 1 minute.

 Setting time – Initial setting Final setting

Type
time time
Type I- Hard set 3-6 minutes 10 minutes
Type II- Soft set 3-6 minutes 15 minutes

 Impression should be seated in the mouth before the initial set.

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Properties:
 Consistency & Flow : Should be homogenous and flow uniformly against the tissues.

 Materials with decreased flow have shorter setting times and a shorter time interval between initial
and final set.

 Rigidity & Strength : Should be unyielding when it is removed from the mouth and should resist

fracture.

 Dimensional Stability :

 Shrinks 0.1% or less at the end of 30 minutes after mixing.

 Can be preserved indefinitely without change in shape due to relaxation, warpage or other causes.
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 Warpage of thick base plate tray on standing may result in distortion of ZOE impression.
 Control of Setting time
 Decreasing setting time:

 Addition of zinc acetate or other accelerators.

 Mixing a small drop of water before blending the two pastes.

 Increasing setting time:

 Cooling the spatula and mixing slab.

 Addition of inert oils and waxes during the mixing (olive oil, mineral oil, and petrolatum).

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Advantages:

 Accurate surface details.

 It is dimensionally stable.

 Can be reinforced with wax or compound for bite registration.

Disadvantages:

 Requires special tray for impression making.

 Sticky in nature and adheres to tissues.

 The burning sensation of eugenol causes tissue irritation.

 Highly inelastic in nature.

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Non-eugenol Pastes

• One of the chief disadvantages of the ZOE pastes is the possible stinging or burning sensation
caused by the eugenol that leaches out and contacts soft tissues.

• Orthoethoxybenzoic acid, is a valuable substitute for eugenol in this regard.

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 waxes

 They are thermoplastic organic compounds containing paraffin, ceresin, and beeswax.

 These materials flow readily at mouth temperature, hence called mouth temperature waxes
(100% flow at 37ºC).
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 Corrective impression wax
 Wax in combination with resins of low melting point can be used in corrective impression techniques.

 Uses - These are used as a wax veneer over an original impression to contact and register the details of
the soft tissues. E.g., Korecta, Iowa wax.

 Main disadvantage – Distorted during removal from undercut areas.

Iowa wax
 Developed to record the functional or supporting form of an edentulous ridge.

 Ideal for atrophic and knife edge residual ridge.

 Also used to record definitive impressions and to reline the finished partial denture.

 The mouth temperature waxes lend themselves well to all relining techniques as they flow sufficiently in
the mouth to avoid over-displacement of tissues.
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 Korecta wax
These are available in 4 grades –

No.1 wax (extra hard):

 This very hard pink-colored wax has practically no flow at mouth temperature.

 It shows very little shrinkage.

 It is used to extend the borders of a temporary base and provide support to the impression wax.

No. 2 wax (hard):

 It is a yellow-colored wax, marginally softer than No. 1 wax, with limited flow at body
temperature.

 It is used as a temporary lining of a base for a short period due to its ability to adapt very
slowly to the tissues.
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 No. 3 wax (soft):

 It is a red-colored wax with flow greater than No. 2 wax, but less than impression wax.

 It is used as a corrective wax in the minor discrepancies of impression wax.

No. 4 wax (extra soft):

 This orange-colored wax has a high rate of flow at body temperature.

 It is used to secure a completely adapted impression under natural masticatory pressure. It

leaves a finished surface and registers fine tissue details.

 The disadvantage is that when used it must always be carried by a temporary base.

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 Occlusal or bite registration wax

 It is used to record the relationship of upper & and lower teeth in dentulous patients. E.g.,
Aluwax.

 Wax is softened in the hot water bath.

 These are being widely replaced by addition silicone elastomers due to their high elastic
recovery and excellent dimensional stability compared to waxes.

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ADVANTAGES OF IMPRESSION WAXES

 The consistency of the wax can be easily controlled by varying the water temperature used for softening.

 There is no concern about working time as the wax will continue to flow, though slowly, even at mouth temperature.

 The wax can be easily shaped while warm and easily trimmed after chilling. Additions are simple.

 The setting process is a reversible one and the wax can be reused again if any corrections are to be done.

DISADVANTAGES

 Waxes are hydrophobic and they cannot capture fine details.

 Highly viscous, hence it does not flow readily.

 Distortion upon removal and poor dimensional stability.

 A water bath that maintains a constant temperature is required.

 It is necessary to have ice water at the chair side to harden the wax upon removal.

 Large undercuts will distort the wax on removal, hence use is restricted in grossly undercut ridges. 34
 Agar(Reversible hydrocolloid)
 Agar hydrocolloid was the first successful impression material to be used in dentistry.
 It is an organic hydrocolloid extracted from certain types of seaweed.
 Since it is reversible, it can be reused.

COMPOSITION:

• Agar: 12%–15% - Principle ingredient

• Borate: 0.2%–0.5% - Strengthen the set gel

• Potassium sulfate: 1%–2% - Accelerator

• Fillers: 0.5%–1% - Strength, Viscosity & Rigidity

• Alkyl benzoate: 0.1% - Preservative

• Water: 80% – Main ingredient

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Manipulation

8 - 12

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 Physical change of agar from sol to gel are induced by lowering the temperature.
 Gel liquefies to sol when heated to a temperature known as liquefaction
temperature (70ºC - 100ºC).
 When sol is cooled, it becomes gel at a point known as the gelation temperature
(btw 37ºC - 50ºC).
 Thus called reversible hydrocolloid.
←

 The gel to sol and sol to gel transformations are dependent on time and temperature.

 This is known as hysteresis.

 This feature of agar enables its use for dental impression procedures. 37

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 Making the impression

Tray with water circulating device is used.

Trays have inlet & outlet tubes for circulation of water.

They are beaded on the edges (rim-lock) to retain the

impression material.

Syringe material is applied to base of the preparation &

then to the prepared tooth.

Tempered tray material is brought into the position in the mouth with gentle
pressure.

Gelation is accelerated by circulating cool water (13ºC) through the

tray for 3–5 minutes.

The impression should be removed rapidly in a snap.

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Working and setting time -
 Working time - 7 to 15 min
 Setting time - 5 min

Uses –
 As a tissue conditioner.
 For full mouth impression without deep undercuts.
 They were used extensively for crown and bridge impressions before elastomers came to the market.
 Widely used at present for cast duplication.

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ADVANTAGES :

 An accurate die can be prepared if the material is properly handled and poured immediately.
 Has good elastic properties.
 Good recovery (98.8%) from distortion.
 Cheap and reusable.

DISADVANTAGES :

 Complicated to use and requires costly equipment.

 Dimensionally unstable. Since it contains a large amount of water, it easily changes its shape and
dimensions according to the water content in the air surrounding the impression.
 Electroplating is not possible.
 Temperature alterations may cause discomfort to the patient.
 Difficult to disinfect properly.
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 Alginate(irreversible hydrocolloid)
 Most widely used impression material.
 This material is based on a natural substance, alginic acid (anhydro-b-d-mannuronic acid)
derived from a brown marine algae.

MODE OF SUPPLY :

Single-component system/Traditional alginates: It is supplied as powder to which water has to

be added to initiate the reaction.

Two-component system/Modified alginates: One component is alginate in the form of sol and
the other component contains the calcium reactor. It is supplied both in syringe viscosity and tray.

viscosity forms.
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COMPOSITION

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  Mixing time – 45 sec - 1 min.

Impression making :

 Perforated metal tray is preferred.

 Thickness of the alginate impression between the tray and the tissues should be at least 3mm.
 The mix is loaded on the tray in such a way to avoid incorporating air bubbles.
 Since alginate is weak, proper extension of the tray is essential to prevent tearing of the alginate.
 The tray is centered in the mouth and placed with firm pressure.
 Once in place, the pressure is immediately released and the tray is just held in position with fingers on either
sides prevent tray displacement and the material is allowed to set..

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Types:
 According to ADA specification
No.18 :

Type I Type II
Property
Fast set Regular set

Mixing time 45 seconds 60 seconds

Working time 1.25 - 2 minutes 3 minutes

Use Children or Routine use

problem patients
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Properties:
 Strength
 Time dependent.
 Greater at higher rate of loading. (Impression to be removed with a Snap)
 Compressive strength: 5000 to 9000 g/cm2
 Tear strength : 380 to 700 g/cm2

 Factors affecting strength: Water/Powder ratio

: Mixing time.
: Composition

 Flexibility- 11-15%

- Hard set: 3-8%

- Lower water-powder ratio  Lower flexibility. 45

 Permanent Deformation (1.2%)- Reduced by bulk of material. (5mm between tray and tissues)
 Viscosity- Low viscosity  mucostatic impression material.

 Disinfection

Tobias, Browne, Wilson (1989)

 Development of alginate impregnated with antimicrobial compound. “Didecyl-dimethyl ammonium

chloride”
 Self sterilizing impression material.
 Not effective against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Robert W.Schutt (1989)

 Effective bactericidal effect of dental gypsum containing 0.25% Chloramine-T on Alginate impression
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and Dental cast.

Advantages

• Ease of manipulation.

• No need for expensive equipment.

• Relatively low cost.

• Comfort to patients.

Disadvantages

 Distortion may occur if the material is not held steady while it is setting.
 Ability to displace tissues.
 Cannot be electroplated so metal dies are not possible.
 It cannot be corrected.
 Poor dimensional stability.
 Poor tear strength.
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Evolutionary changes in the alginate impression material

1. Dustless alginates- These materials were developed to eradicate silicosis.

- coating siliceous fibers with dedusting agents like glycerin, glycol, polyethylene glycol,
and polypropylene glycol.

- sepiolite (natural mineral fiber-containing magnesium silicate -20%)

- tetrafluoro-ethylene- To avoid the dust particles raising by forming the cobweb during
mixing
Commercially available –
• Identic dust free alginate (Dux dental).
• Jeltrate Dustless (Dentsply Caulk).
• Integra dust free alginate (Kerr). 48
2. Alginate in the form of two-paste system

- Base paste contains- soluble alginate, water, and fillers.

- Catalyst paste contains- calcium salts, viscous liquids like liquid paraffin and magnesium
hydroxide as a pH stabilizer.

3. Self-disinfected alginates

- The disinfectant materials incorporated include quaternary ammonium compounds, chlorhexidine,

bisquanidine compounds, chlorhexidine, didecydimethyl ammonium chloride.

- Several studies have reported that the addition of silver nanoparticles is more effective against S.
aureus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Actinomyces viscosus, and Pseudomonas
aeruginosa.

- Zinc oxide and Copper oxide also incorporated.

4. Chromatic alginates (Alginates with color indicators) 49

CAVEX Color change
(chromatic alginate)

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5. Extended pour alginates
- CAVEX Color Change (Darby Dental Supply, USA) - can be preserved for about 100hrs

- Extend a Pour (Dux Dental Products)- extend a pour can be preserved up to 4 weeks.

6. Alginate with polyacrylamide incorporation

- A thickening and stabilizing agent such as 0.01-0.25wt% polyacrylamide (molecular weight- 200,000
to 6,000,000) were incorporated into the conventional alginates resulted in improving the mixing
characteristics, and the formation of smooth alginate sol with water.

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References
 Starcke Jr EN. A historical review of complete denture impression materials. Journal of the
American Dental Association (1939). 1975 Nov 1;91(5):1037-41.

 Anusavice KJ, Shen C, Rawls HR. Phillips’ science of dental materials(2013),12ed. Elsevier
Inc, Missouri.

 O'Brien W. Dental Materials and Their Selection.3rd Edition;2002.

 Sakaguchi R, Ferrcane J, Powers JM. Craig’s restorative dental materials(2019),14ed.

Elsevier Inc, Missouri.

 Alaghari S, Velagala S, Alla RK, AV R. Advances in alginate impression materials: a review.

Int. J. Dent. Mater. 2019 Nov 15;1(2):55-9.
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THANK YOU

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