Dental Filling Material With Dynamic Refractive Index Curing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dental filling materials struggle to achieve high radiopacity and aesthetic appeal, requiring multiple substances and complex processes, with limited depth of cure and translucence affecting the differentiation from natural tooth substance.
Innovation Solution
Dental materials comprising a combination of radically polymerizable monomers, radiopaque fillers, inorganic fillers, and composite fillers, with specific refractive index changes during polymerization to enhance depth of cure and translucence, reducing shrinkage forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If light-curing materials are used to achieve aesthetic properties and translucence, then the materials can be differentiated from natural tooth substance, but the depth of cure is limited and placing large fillings becomes time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the refractive index parameter of the monomer mixture before polymerization to match the filler refractive index, maximizing light transmission and depth of cure. After polymerization, the refractive index changes to provide adequate translucence and aesthetic appearance, while enabling curing of larger filling depths in fewer layers
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic refractive index adjustment through the polymerization process itself. The monomer mixture refractive index dynamically changes from matching the filler (high translucence) before curing to differing from the filler (adequate opacity) after curing, enabling both deep cure and aesthetic appearance
2Productivity
If bulk-fill materials with high translucence are used to achieve large depth of cure, then curing time is reduced, but the materials poorly cover the dentin underneath affecting aesthetics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes parameter change of refractive index during polymerization to achieve both high translucence before curing (enabling deep light penetration) and adequate opacity after curing (providing dentin coverage). This resolves the contradiction between curing efficiency and aesthetic appearance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates different optical properties at different stages: high translucence during the uncured state for deep curing, and adequate opacity in the cured state for aesthetic appearance and dentin coverage
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple substances with different shades are used to achieve aesthetic appeal, then natural tooth appearance can be imitated, but material cost and production complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal composite material formulation that can achieve various aesthetic appearances through a single material system. The refractive index-matched filler and monomer mixture provide a base that can be adapted to different shades and opacities while maintaining excellent optical properties and depth of cure
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The materials provide high radiopacity and aesthetic appeal, enabling simplified production of restorations with improved coverage of underlying tooth layers and reduced shrinkage forces.
Implementation Method 1
The materials contain an initiator for the radical polymerization, wherein nowadays light-curing materials which contain a photoinitiator are assuming a dominant position in filling treatment
Implementation Method 2
The depth of cure correlates to the translucence of the materials, wherein a high translucence and a good depth of cure are achieved when the organic matrix and the fillers used have corresponding refractive indices
Data Source
AI summary
A dental material includes at least one radically polymerizable monomer, at least one radiopaque filler, at least one composite filler, at least one inorganic filler and at least one initiator for the radical polymerization. The dental material is particularly suitable as dental filling material.