Properties of Natural Waxes Used in Dentistry

Waxes used in dentistry are combinations of two or more natural waxes plus small amounts of additives, such as oils, natural resins, synthetic waxes, and coloring agents. The ultimate goal of the combination of waxes and additives is to produce dental waxes that possess a set of given physical properties over a specified range of temperature. Although considerable effort has been expended to determine the physical properties desired in dental wax'-' and the properties of dental waxes during their manipulation,4-10 little information is available on the properties of the natural waxes11-16 used as components to produce dental waxes. Such studies have been confined to meltingpoint curves of binary and ternary mixtures;11-13 the effect of composition on the specific gravity;14 and the general composition of waxes, their melting points, and the effect of composition on the melting point.15-16 The purpose of this investigation, therefore, was to categorize the ingredient waxes used in dental waxes by means of physical tests. The flow qualities, melting range, setting range, and linear thermal expansion of mineral, plant, insect, and inlay waxes were measured in this study.