What Are The Properties And Applications Of Medical Titanium in Dentistry?

Since the discovery of medical titanium, because of its strength (tensile strength / density) more than the superiority of the metal, known as the "magic metal", in the aerospace, machinery, electricity, medicine and other fields have been widely used. Titanium: silver-white rare light metal, atomic number 22, density 4.51g/CM2, due to titanium contact with the human body is not sensitive, carcinogenic, teratogenic phenomenon, and bone tissue, epithelium, connective tissue is a good combination, so it is a metal material better biocompatibility, known as the friendly metal. Medical titanium metal is widely used in modern medicine implanted in the human body, accounting for more than 80% of the medical pure titanium in the field of oral prosthesis manufacturing has also achieved good results.

Titanium has the following good physical and chemical properties:

1. The passivation film on the surface of the titanium coil has a strong resistance to acid corrosion, and it is not easy to corrode pure titanium denture. The excellent mechanical properties of pure titanium is also a priority for the production of dentures:Low modulus of elasticity has a memory function, so it is very advantageous to use pure titanium to make a rigid carabiner with good elasticity, which does not affect the position of the denture and does not damage the underlying teeth.

2. Small density: about 1/4 of gold; 1/2 of cobalt chromium alloy; therefore pure titanium denture is lighter than other materials. The same volume, weight less than half the weight of ordinary cobalt chromium alloy steel tray body, can greatly reduce the burden of oral soft tissue;

3. Low thermal conductivity: only 1/17 of gold, therefore, pure titanium porcelain teeth can effectively protect the pulp tissue from external hot and cold acid stimulation.

4. Line shrinkage is small: 1.75%, lower than gold alloy and cobalt chromium alloy, good adaptability, high casting accuracy, high density of pure titanium porcelain margins, can effectively prevent secondary caries in porcelain crown base teeth

5. X-ray is semi-obstructive: X-ray can check the titanium crown within the dental tissue, so in the case of the crown can be diagnosed without breaking the health of the teeth, in addition, pure titanium porcelain teeth will not affect the examination of the head CT;

6. non-magnetic titanium: pure titanium system denture in the magnetic field will not be magnetized, which is very important; pure titanium porcelain teeth and all-ceramic teeth is one of the fixed restorations, does not affect the cranial MRI examination;

Medical titanium in the oral cavity:

Researchers tested the device in a unilaterally deaf population. A study confirmed that the device was comfortable to wear, was not harmful to the teeth, and improved understanding of speech in noisy environments. The researchers plan to submit their findings and apply for a license to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier in 2010. If all goes according to plan, the device will be on the market in the second half of 2010, which will benefit millions of deaf people. People who are unilaterally deaf have a hard time determining the exact source of a sound, making it dangerous for them to cross the street and difficult for them to listen to others in a noisy room. The Tinnitus Research Center in San Mateo, California, USA, has invented small devices wrapped around the teeth that receive sound information from a miniature microphone placed in the deafness and convert it into a vibrating signal. The vibratory signals are transmitted through the teeth and jaw to the cochlea in the healthy ear and then to the brain to produce stereo hearing. This sample of bone conduction auditory communication is how the average person hears his or her own voice. Some hearing aids also communicate sound to the cochlea through bone conduction, but some require drilling of the skull to place titanium rods, and some require cumbersome headphones. Typical hearing aids simply amplify air-conducted sound, which is then transmitted to the ear.