Dental Cement Is An Important Element In Modern Dental Treatment
Dental Cement Is An Important Element In Modern Dental Treatment
What is a luting agent?
Very simply a luting agent is a mouldable material which cements two faces together. In the case of dentistry, the two surfaces are the tooth and whatever is being applied to it. That may be a cavity filling or a crown. All of these procedures need dental cement to retain the component or treatment that is being undertaken. Without the cement the filling would drop off.
Composition of dental cements
Cements used in dentistry are hard but breakable materials and are created by combining two components - a powder and a liquid. The powder is made from a variety of elements which contain a metal oxide and the most common in New Zealand is a carboxylate formulation.
Other varieties of dental liner can be made from resin, phosphate or phenolate.
What must a dental cement do?
The most obvious requirement for a cement is adhering the two components together and it must be permanent. People do not want to keep going back to the dentist to have repair work on the same tooth so long-term, firm bonding is an absolute must.
A dental cement must not cause irritation to the gums or the tooth pulp especially so in the case of the dental pulp with root canal procedures. This is because the cement actually touches the pulp which is the living part of the tooth. Any reaction with the pulp will create severe pain for the person.
Dental cement must also be repellent to saliva. Should the saliva cause the cement or liner to disintegrate, then the treatment - the filling or inlay would become detached necessitating extra treatment. Therefore saliva resistance is vital.
An increasing demand for Auckland dental cement is that it is aesthetically pleasing. As more people opt for cosmetic dental work, an unpleasant looking cement would ruin the desired impact of the crown or bridge. Therefore the premium cements have a translucent quality and are available in a variety of shades to match the colour of the tooth.
Lastly dental cement must be simple for the dentist to use. This means that the cement comes in two viscosities - one is good for better cleaning on veneers and the second has lower viscosity for better flow.