Precision polishing of dental Ti-Ag alloys

1^st Report: Development of polyurea resin-bonded mounted wheel

Abstract

There has been a great deal of recent interest in allergic reactions to the metals used for dental applications, and there is concern about the biomedical use of metallic materials. Pure titanium has excellent biocompatibility, and shows reduced possibility of metal allergy. However, the machining of pure titanium is very difficult due to its low thermal conductivity and high chemical reactivity. Therefore, pure titanium is not widely used in dental materials. Recently, we developed Ti-Ag alloys and investigated their properties. The mechanical properties of the Ti-Ag alloys were superior to those of pure titanium. These are candidates for unique dental metallic materials. In this study, a polyurea resin-bonded mounted silicon carbide wheel was developed for polishing of Ti-Ag alloys. Using this mounted wheel, polishing of the Ti-Ag alloys was achieved in a shorter time compared with three commercial mounted wheels designed for use by dentists and dental technicians. In addition, the roughness of the polished surface became smaller and the surface integrity was high in quality.