Abrasive materials used in Dentistry and their Uses

Abrasive materials are mainly minerals which are used in Finishing and Polishing a Restoration, Abrasive materials are used to remove the uneven or rough surface on the surface of restorative materials which will lead to debris accumulation and decrease the surface smoothness.

These Dental Abrasive material particles coat the surface of the burs and act on the tooth or restorative materials by rotation of the bur using a hand piece. Some abrasive materials are used in the form of paste and others as Polishing Strips.

Here is a list of Abrasive materials in Dentistry and their respective uses:

1. Natural Diamond: Used for Ceramic and Resin based composite materials
2. Synthetic Diamond: Used on Tooth Structures, Ceramic materials and Resin based composite materials
3. Arkansas Stone: For fine grinding of tooth enamel and metal alloys
4. Chalk: To polish tooth enamel, gold foil, amalgam and plastic materials
5. Corundum (White Stone): For grinding metal alloys
6. Abrasives: On Composite materials
7. Emery: For finishing metal alloys or acrylic resin
8. Garnet: For Grinding metal alloys and acrylic resin materials
9. Pumice: Polishing tooth enamel, gold foil, dental amalgam and acrylic resins
10. Quartz: Finish metal alloys and to grind dental enamel
11. Sand: Grinding of metal alloys and acrylic resin materials
12. Zirconium Silicate: Component of dental prophylaxis paste
13. Cuttle: Polishing of metal margins and dental amalgam restorations
14. Kieselguhr: Filler in Hydrocolloid impression materials
15. Silicon Carbide: Metal Alloys, Ceramics and Acrylic resin materials
16. Aluminium Oxide: For adjusting Dental Enamel, for finishing metal alloys, resin based composites and ceramic materials
17. Tin Oxide: Polishing agent for polishing teeth and metallic restorations

I have tried to list out all of the Abrasive Materials which are used in Dentistry to finish and Polish various restorative materials. Do tell us if i have missed out any abrasive materials.