Welcome to dental products
3m Dental Products Article
This is a selection made from among articles on 3m Dental Products. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
Teeth Whitening – How It Works
from:The outermost layer of a tooth is the enamel. This is a thin layer that partly covers the tooth and forms a wrap for the exposed crown. Following that is the dentin. The dentin is very similar to the enamel except it is not as hard and as shiny and while the enamel is generally white in appearance, the dentin is not. Extrinsic tooth stains forms in the enamel while for the most part, intrinsic stains that show trough the enamel occur in the dentin.
First, the tooth enamel is a highly mineralized very hard part of the tooth composed of strand of rod-like crystalline materials. These rods while very tightly packed have microscopic gaps in between them. The density of the crystalline rods differs from individual to individual and explains the reason why some tooth enamel are tougher than another person's enamel. Nonetheless, all most all of us are born with bright shiny teeth. Even the permanent tooth that follows later invisibly white is cast.
Through everyday wear and tear, the gaps between the rods fill up with debris, tannins and other coloration that stains it. Anything that is put in the mouth will leave its mark trough forming a pellicle film over the teeth which initiated in the pores between the rods. While brushing rids most of the materials that are accumulating, not all of it is removed. Over the years, the accumulation of the debris forms layer upon layer of film that show eventually as stain.
The good thing is that while the staining agents worked its way through the pores in the rods, the whitening agents also use that access to free the teeth of the stains through oxidation reaction. For this two main whitening agents are used, the hydrogen peroxide which is a strong bleaching agent for many bleaching purposes and the much milder carbamide peroxide.
Although hydrogen peroxide is usually the bleaching agent used in in-office procedures it could also be used at home for those who do not have hypersensitivity in the gums or in the teeth. For most practices though Carbamide peroxide is used for home whitening kits. Carbamide peroxide although slower acting also works very much like a hydrogen peroxide. When in the mouth, carbamide peroxide breaks down into urea and hydrogen peroxide with hydrogen peroxide being the bleaching agent.
The dentin on the other hand could also catch stains. Many stains when allowed for a long period of time could get into the dentin forming stains that could show through the enamel. Other factors which could easily get through the enamel to the dentin are cracks in the teeth suffered through a trauma to the tooth, grinding, aging and other accidents. Blood leeching inside the tooth will also tend to stay there and form a stain.
While extrinsic stains are easier to remove, intrinsic stains usually needs more involved professional supervision. The basics though are the same. A bleaching agent will be applied and over a period of time, stains disappear through the stains reaction to oxidation.
3m Dental Products News
What to consider when selecting a polyether impression material - Dentistry IQ
What to consider when selecting a polyether impression material Dentistry IQ By Ellen Neuenfeldt, RDH, BS Polyether impression materials continue to be a popular choice for dental professionals looking to produce an efficient, accurate and dependable impression. The material's ability to create precise replications of tooth ... |
3M Begins Untangling Its 'Hairballs' - Wall Street Journal
3M Begins Untangling Its 'Hairballs' Wall Street Journal He estimates that 3M makes 65000 products, ranging from Scotch tape to film for solar-energy panels, dental braces and dog chews. They are produced in 214 plants in 41 countries. Mr. Woodworth, an electrical engineer and 38-year veteran of 3M, ... |
Innovation: 3M's Lessons to Be Learned - Huffington Post (blog)
Innovation: 3M's Lessons to Be Learned Huffington Post (blog) While Apple is often the most highly touted company for its innovation success, 3M is a global innovation company that has remained under the radar for its long-term innovation plans and successes. With $30 billion in sales and products sold in nearly ... |
Introducing 3M ESPE Filtek Bulk Fill Flowable Restorative - Dentistry IQ
Introducing 3M ESPE Filtek Bulk Fill Flowable Restorative Dentistry IQ This new bulk fill flowable restorative provides dentists with the ability to treat patients quickly and easily — without compromising their high standards for product performance. Recommended for bulk fill liner/base applications, Filtek Bulk Fill ... |
3M ESPE most innovative company - Dentistry.co.uk
3M ESPE most innovative company Dentistry.co.uk The recognition was published in the 2011 Dental Industry Review conducted by The Anaheim Group. The 'most innovative' designation is awarded based on three criteria: new product clearances for market; dental industry patents registered with United ... |