ABRASION

DEFINITION:
The wearing away of a substance or
structure through a mechanical
process, such as grinding, rubbing or
scraping.
 TYPES OF ABRASION

ABRASION MAY BE:

 A two body process

e.g. action of a diamond bur on

enamel.
 A three body process

e.g. Pumice applied with

a bristle brush.
SUPPLIED AS :
In dentistry the abrasive is applied to the work by
a variety of tools.
 paper / plastic coated:
The abrasive particles may be glued on
to a paper or plastic disc that can be attached to a
handpiece .sand paper belongs to this category.
Stainless steel coated strips:
► The abrasive (e.g.diamond )

may be attached to stainless steel or plastic strips.

This

category is similar to the

above.
Electroplating
bonding :
In case of diamond rotary instruments the
diamond chips are attached to steel wheels,discs and
cylinders by electro-plating with nickel based
matrix.
 Bonded stones :
In grinding wheels and dental stones, the abrasive
particles are mixed with a bonding agent t h a t holds
the particles together. before hardening, the matrix
material with the abrasive is moulded to form tools of
desired shapes.
 Powder form :
An abrasive may also be mixed with water or
glycerine and to form a paste or slurry. It is applied with
felt cone, rubber cup or brush and used for smoothening
irregularities, e.g. pumise powder.
MECHANISM OF ABRASIVE
ACTION
The action of a n abrasive
is essentially a cutting
action.
Each tiny particle presents a sharp
edge t h a t cuts through the
surface similar to a chisel.
A shaving is formed which
crushes to a fine powder.
This powder clogs the abrasive
tool a nd frequent cleaning is
required.
 STRESS, STRAIN AND HEAT PRODUCTION
DURING ABRASION

 In denture resins,too rigorous abrasion

introduces stresses.
 The generation of heat during abrasion partially
relieves such stresses, but if it is too great, it may
relieve processing stresses and a warpage may
result.

The resin surface may even melt.
 Similarly ,high speed cutting of tooth
structure generates excessive heat which can
lead to pulpal damage.
 Therefore, it is very important to control the
heat by air/water spray and intermittent cutting.
RATE OF
ABRASION
The rate of abrasion of a given material by a given abrasive is
determined primarily by three factors.
SIZE OF THE PARTICLES :
 Larger particles cause deeper scratches in the
material and wear away the surface at a faster rate.
 The scratches caused by the coarse abrasive
must then be removed by finer ones.
PRESSURE :
 Heavy pressure applied by the abrasive will
cause deeper scratches and more rapid removal of material.
 Heavy pressure is not advisable as it can
fracture or dislodge the abrasive from the grinding wheel.
CLASSIFICATIO
N
 Finishing abrasive :
finishing abrasives are hard, coarse abrasives
which are used initialy to develop contour and remove
gross irregularities. E.g. coarse stones.
 Polishing abrasives :
polishing abrasives have finer particle size and
are less ha r d t h a n abrasives used for finishing. They
are used for smoothening surfaces t h a t have been
roughened by finishing abrasives. e.g. polishing
cakes, pumice, etc.
 Cleansing abrasives :
cleansing abrasives are soft materials with
small particle sizes and are intended to remove soft
deposits t h a t adhere to enamel or a restorative
material.
TYPES OF ABRASIVES
:
 EMERY :
1)Emery consists of a natural oxide
of aluminium called corundum.
2)There are various impurities
present in it such as iron oxide, which
may also act as an abrasive.
3)The greater the content of
alumina, the finer the grade of emery.
4)Pure alumina is also used as a
polishing agent.
ALUMINIUM OXIDE
:
1)pure aluminium is manufactured
from bauxite.
2)it can be produced in fine grain
sizes and has partially replaced emery
for abrasive purpose.
GARNET :
3)The
mineral comprises of silicates of
aluminium, cobalt, magnesium, iron, and
manganese.
4)garnet is coated on paper or cloth
with glue.
5)it is used on discs which are
operated on handpieces.
PUMICE :
It is a highly siliceous material of volcanic
origin and is used either as an abrasive or polishing
agent.
KIESELGURH :
1)consists of siliceous remains of minute
aquatic plants known as diatoms.
2)it is excellent as a mild abrasive and
polishing agent.
TRIPOLI :
This mild abrasive and polishing agent.
 ROUGE :
1) Rouge is a fine red powder composed of iron
oxide.
2)It may be impregnated on paper or cloth
known as “crocus cloth”
3)It is a n excellent polishing agent for gold and
noble metal alloys.
 TIN OXIDE :
1)Putty powder used as polishing agent for
teeth and metallic restorations in the mouth.
2)It is mixed with water, alcohol or glycerin
and used as paste.
 CHALK :
1)It is calcium carbonate prepared by
precipitation method.
2)There are various grads and physical forms
available for different polishing techniques.
3) It is sometimes used in dentifrices.
 CHROMIC OXIDE :
1) A relativity hard abrasive capable of polishing
a variety of metals.
2) used as a polishing agent for stainless steel.
 SAND :
Sand as well as other forms of quartz is used as
sand paper or as powder in sandblasting equipment.
 CARBIDES :
1)The silicon carbide is sintered, or pressed
with a blinder, into grinding wheels or discs.
2)Most of the stone burs used for cutting tooth
structure are made of silicon carbide.
 DIAMOND :
1)It is the hardest and most effective abrasive
for tooth enamel.
2) The chips are impregnated in a blinder or
plated on to a metal shank to form the diamond ‘stones’
and disks so popular with the dental profession.
• ZIRCONIUM SILICATE :
1)Occurs in nature as zircon.
2)This mineral is ground to various particle sizes
and used as polishing agent.
• ZINC OXIDE :
1)Zinc oxide in alcohol can be used for
polishing amalgam restorations.
• DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN
ABRASItfE :
1) Abrasive should be harder than the work it
abrades.
2)If it cannot indent the surface to be abraded,
it cannot cut it and the abrasive dulls or wears out.
 POLISHING
• It is production of a smooth mirror like surface without
much loss of any external form.
• If the particle size of an abrasive is reduced sufficiently,
the scratches become extremely fine and may disappear
entirely.
• The surface then acquires a smooth shiny layer known
as a polish.
• The polishing agents remove material form the surface
molecule by molecule.
• The microcrystalline layer is referred to as polish layer or
Beilby layer.
• A polishing agent is employed only after an abrasive
obliterates or eliminates most of the fine scratches,
leaving a smooth finish.
 NON –ABRASIVE POLISHING
Polishing is usually achieved by a n abrasive process. However , a
smooth shiny surface can also be achieved through non-
abrasive means. These include :
 COMPOSITE GLAZING :
A layer of glaze or gloss is applied over the restoration
an d cured. This results in a smooth highly glossy surface.
 GLAZING CERAMICS :
Ceramics are difficult to polish conventionally. The
finished restoration is subjected to high temperatures. At this
temperature the surface layer an d flows to produce a
smooth glass-like surface.
 ELECTROLYTIC POLISHING :
Electrolytic polishing is not truly a n abrasive process.
Although material is removed, it is removed through a n
electrochemical process r at h e r a n abrasive process.
 BURNISHING

It is related to polishing in that the surface

is drawn or moved. Instead of using
many tiny particles, only one large point
is used.
If a round steel point is rubbed over the
margins of a gold inlay, the metal is moved
so that any gap between the inlay and the
tooth can be closed. A special blunt bur
revolving at high speed can also be used.
 DENTRIFICES
• These are agents used with a toothbrush
to cleanse and polish natural teeth.
• They should have maximum cleansing
efficiency with minimum tooth abrasion.
• Highly abrasive dentrifices should not be
used especially when dentin or cementum
is exposed.
 FUNCTION
• Assists the toothbrush to mechanically
remove stains, debris and soft deposits
from the teeth.
• To impart a polished surface to the
tooth.
• Thus, they help to reduce caries, maintain
healthy gingiva, improve esthetics and
reduce mouth odors.
 PROPHYLACTIC PASTE
• Oral prophylaxis is a widely used
procedure in the dental office.
• Prophylactic paste may be available
commercially or can be made in the
dental office.
• They are usually employed in paste
form by mixing with a suitable vehicle.
 FUNCTION
:
o Remove extrinsic stains, pellicle, materia-
alba and oral debris
o Impart a highly polished and esthetic
appearance.
Different types of abrasives may be
employed, e.g. zirconium silicate,
magnesium silicate, silica, pumice, etc. In
addition, some may contain fluoride in
order to reduce caries.
 PROPHYJET :
The prophyjet is a relatively new dental prophylaxis system of
removing
intraoral stains.
An abrasive blasting process is used to mechanically remove
extrinsic stains as well as light supragingival adherent plaque
the calculas.
COMPOSITION :
Consists of sodium carbonate, hydrophobic modified silica
and some flavoring agent. The abrasive is available as powder in a
small
sachet.
CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS :
The prophyjet is directed at 45 angles to the tooth surface. For
obvious reasons it is less effective in proximal areas. The chances of
soft
tissue injury exist especially if the tissue is inflamed and
friable.
DENTURE
BRUSHING :
CLEANSERS
a)The dentures may be brushed using a
soft bristle brush and gentle abrasive or
cream.
b)Hard abrasive and stiff bristles should
be avoided because they may produce
scratches on the denture surface.
SOAKING :
Chemical cleaners are an alternative to
brushing especially among very old or
handicapped persons.
a) Alkaline perborates
b) Alkaline peroxides
c) Alkaline hypochlorites
d) Dilute acids.