ZINC OXIDE AND EUGENOL 

This material is used for many dental purposes ranging from temporary restorative material to pulp capping. The material is composed of a powder that is basically zinc oxide and a liquid that is called eugenol.

Chemical Composition.

The powder must contain between 70 and 100 percent zinc oxide. The manufacturer may add hydrogenated resins to increase strength and zinc acetate to hasten the set. 

Eugenol is usually derived from oil of cloves. The oil of cloves contains more eugenol (82 percent) Eugenol is an obtundent (pain-relieving agent). It is a clear liquid that gradually changes to amber when exposed to light. 

Physical Properties. 
This material relieves pain, makes tissue less sensitive to pain, is slightly antiseptic, and is low in thermal conductivity. It provides a good marginal seal when placed in tooth cavities. The crushing strength (compression strength) of pure zinc oxide and eugenol is about 2,000 psi, which is low in comparison to other cements. The addition of hydrogenated resin increases the crushing strength to 5,000 psi. 

CLINICAL USES OF ZINC OXIDE AND EUGENOL 

Treatment Restoration. It helps prevent pulpal irritation in carious teeth, lost restorations, advanced caries, or pulpitis. This dental material also exerts a palliative effect on the pulp. 

Temporary Cementing Medium. Zinc oxide and eugenol is used as a temporary cementing medium for crowns, inlays, and fixed partial dentures. 

Intermediate Base. Zinc oxide and eugenol is used as an intermediate base. This material provides insulation between metallic restorations and vital tooth structure. Because of the low crushing strength, its use is sometimes contraindicated. 

Surgical Packing or Dressing. The surgical dressing applied and adapted over the gingival area after a gingivectomy. This dressing protects the area and makes the tissue less sensitive. 
 

Investment Techniques 

Single step investing technique:
The investing procedure is carried out in one step either by brush technique or by vacuum technique.

a). Brush technique:
The accurate water-powder ratio is mixed under vacuum. A brush is then used to paint the wax pattern with mix then the casting ring is applied over the crucible former and the ring is filled under vibration until it is completely filled.

b). vacuum technique:
• The mix in first hand spatulated, and then with the crucible former and pattern is place, then ring is attached to the mixing bowl.
• The vacuum hose is then attached to the assembly. The bowel is inverted and the ring is filled under vacuum and vibration

Two-step investing technique:

The investing procedure is carried out in two steps:

• First, the wax pattern is painted with a thick mix andis left till complete setting, the set investment block(first cost) is immersed in water for about tenminutes . the casting ring is then applied over the crucible former and filled with the properly mixedinvestment (second coat) till the ring is completely filled and the mix is left to set.The two-step investing technique is recommendedwhenever greater amount of expansion is required. Thistechnique also minimizes the distortion of the waxpattern and provides castings with smoother surfaces.

• The investment is allowed to set for the recommendedtime (usually one-hour) then the crucible former is removed. If a metal sprue former is used, it is removedby heating over a flame to loosen it from the wax pattern. Any loose particles of investment should beblown off with compressed air should be placed in a humidor if stored overnight.
 

Wax elimination (burnout):

Wax elimination or burnout consists of heating the investment in a thermostatically controlled furnace until all traces of the wax are vaporized in order to obtain an empty mold ready to receive the molten alloy during procedure.

• The ring is placed in the furnace with the sprue hole facing down to allow for the escape of the molten wax out freely by the effect of gravity .
• The temperature reached by the investment determines thethermal expansion. The burnout temperature is slowly increased in order to eliminate the wax and water without cracking the investment.
•For gypsum bonded investment, the mold is heated to650 -6870 c )to cast precious and semiprecious
precious alloys.
• Whereas for phosphate-bonded investment, the mold is heated up to 8340 c to cast nonprecious alloys at high fusing temperature.
The ring should be maintained long enough at the maximum temperature (“heat soak”) to minimize a sudden drop in temperature upon removal from the oven. Such a drop could result in an incomplete casting because of excessively rapid solidification of thealloy as it enters the mold.
• When transferring the casting ring to casting, a quick visual check of the sprue in shaded light is helpful to see whether it is properly heated. It should be a cherry-red color .

WAX BURNOUT AND HEATING THE RING

After the investment has set hard, the crucible former and the metal sprue former is removed carefully, and any loose particles at the opening of the sprue hole are removed with small brush.
The purpose of the wax burnout is to make room for the liquid metal. The ring is placed in the oven at 250C with the sprue end down, thus allowing the melted wax to flow, out for 30min or even up to 60min may be a good procedure to ensure complete elimination of the wax and the carbon.

Heating the ring: The object is to create a mold of such dimension, condition and temperature so that it is best suited to receive the metal.

Hygroscopic Low-Heat Technique. 

After the wax elimination the temperature of the same furnace can be set to a higher temperature for heating or else, the ring can be transferred to another furnace, which has already set to the higher temperature. In any case accurate temperature control is essential and therefore these furnaces have pyrometer and thermocouple arrangement. The ring is placed in the furnace with the sprue hole down and heated to 500C and kept at this temperature for 1 hour. In this low heat technique the thermal expansion obtained is less but together with the previously obtained hygroscopic expansion the total expansion amounts to 2.2 percent, which is slightly higher than what is required for gold alloys.

So this technique obtains its compensation expansion from three sources:
(1)   The 37º C water bath expands the wax pattern
(2)   The warm water entering the investment mold from the top adds some hygroscopic expansion
(3)   The thermal expansion at 500' C provides the needed thermal expansion.

High-Heat Thermal Expansion Technique. 

After the wax elimination, the ring should be placed in the furnace which is at room temperature and then the temperature is gradually raised, until it comes to 700C in 1 hour. Then the ring is heat soaked at this temperature for ½ hour. This slow rise in temperature is necessary to prevent 
This approach depends almost entirely on high-heat burnout to obtain the required expansion, while at the same time eliminating the wax pattern.  Additional expansion results from the slight heating of gypsum investments on setting, thus expanding the wax pattern, and the water entering the investment from the wet liner, which adds a small amount of hygroscopic expansion to the normal setting expansion.

Manipulation

Selection

o    Microfilled composites or hybrids for anterior class III, IV, V
o    Hybrids or midifills for posterior class I, II, III, V

Conditioning of enamel and / or dentin

Do not apply fluorides before etching.-->Acid-etch --> Rinse for 20 seconds with water --> Air-dry etched area for 20 seconds but do not desiccate or dehydrate --> Apply bonding agent and polymerize

Mixing (if required)--> mix two pastes for 20 to 30 seconds

o    Self-cured composite-working time is 60 to 120 seconds after mixing
o    Light-cured composite-working time is unlimited (used for most anterior and some posterior composite restorations)
o    Dual-cured composite-working time is > 10 minutes
o    Two-stage cured composite-working time is >5 minutes

Placement

use plastic instrument or syringe --> Light curing --> Cure incrementally in <2 mm thick layers. Use matrix strip where possible to produce smooth surface and contour composite .Postcure to improve hardness
 

Classification of Dental amalgam

1. By powder particle shape .

• Irregular (comminuted, filing, or lathecut)
• Spherical (spherodized)
• Blends (e.g., irregular-irregular, irregularspherical, or spherical-spherical)

2. By total amount of copper

• Low-copper alloys (e.g., conventional, traditional); <5% copper
• High-copper alloys (e,g.  corrosion resistant); 12% to 28% copper

3.By presence of zinc

Examples

• Low-copper, irregular-particle alloy-silver (70%)-tin (26%)-copper (4%)
• High-copper, blended-particles alloy-irregular particles, silver (70%) –tin (26%) -Copper (4%); spherical particles, silver (72%)-copper (28%)
• High-copper, spherical-particles alloy-silver (60%) - tin (27%)-copper (13%)

Physical reaction-cooling causes reversible hardening

Chemical reaction-irreversible reaction during setting