Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg working in collaboration with their research partners at VOCO GmbH have now developed a material that can be used for all the components used in root canal treatment.
“The basis of this material is provided by ORMOCER®s,” explains Dr. Herbert Wolter, group manager at the ISC. “We have combined these ORMOCER®s with various nano- and microparticles to achieve the highly diverse properties needed.”
Materials used in filling the root canal, for instance, should not shrink as they harden, should form an airtight bond with the dental material and be visible in x-rays. The material used to rebuild the tooth, on the other hand, should have the same properties as the tooth itself.
“Hybrid materials are well suited to these requirements. For instance, they only shrink by about 1.3 percent as they harden, while standard materials generally shrink by 2 to 4 percent. ORMOCER®s can also be adapted to adhere to the different parts of the tooth,” says Wolter.
VOCO GmbH is already producing dental preparations and product development is making good progress. Market launch could therefore be just a few years away.
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