Development of alloys for dental grills

TASK 3

By
MG Molapo
Due: 21 FEBRUARY 2022
Abstract
Dental grills are considered the trending type of jewellery which have been around for
centuries. The grillz are basically wearable jewellery shaped over the front teeth, they are
made from different type of metals such as noble and base metals. Dental grillz alloys pose
challenges when it comes to machinability and corrosion resistance which may have
implications of on the oral health.

Alloys used in dentistry include nickel-chromium, cobalt-chromium, gold alloys, amalgam

and others however each alloy consists of its own limitations .The proposed alloys are based
on health implications, properties and costs. The proposed alloys include cobalt-chromium
alloy with addition of a precious metal, stainless steel plated with gold/sterling silver and the
gold alloy. These alloys will undergo corrosion testing in an artificial saliva solution and a
hardness test.

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Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Problem statement and objective ................................................................................................ 1
2. BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................... 2
2.1 Background history of dental grills............................................................................................... 2
2.2 Alloys currently used in dentistry ................................................................................................. 3
2.3Proposed Alloys ................................................................................................................................. 7
2.4 Proposed dental testing environment ......................................................................................... 7
2.4.1 Corrosion testing ................................................................................................................... 7
2.4.2 Hardness testing .................................................................................................................... 8
Conclusion and recommendations ........................................................................................................ 8
REFERENCES.......................................................................................................................................... 9

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1. INTRODUCTION
Tooth jewellery is a cosmetic procedure done to make or give the tooth a more aesthetic
style. There are various types of tooth jewellery where one of the type are known as dental
grills (Bhatia, et al., 2015).Dental grills are elaborate pieces of detachable jewellery made of
metal plates which are large enough to cover the anterior (front) teeth in an arch.
There are different types of alloys used to make the grills such as sterling silver, gold, and
platinum which consists of their own limitations in the production of the grills, such as
tarnishing of the grills when used for the longest period of time.
The choice of material depends on various factors such as corrosion behaviour, mechanical
properties, cost, availability, biocompatibility and aesthetic value in order to select a material
for dental use. Corrosion behaviour is the most essential factor to assess due to the fact that
biocompatibility (tarnish) and cytotoxicity of the products are generated by the corrosion
process (Souza, et al., 2017)
1.1 Problem statement and objective
Swag Jewellers (SMME’s) is facing a challenge with the alloy they currently use, as it is too
weak for the manufacturing of shapes on their grills thus they are looking for an improved
hardness alloy for their dental grills production.
The platinum incubator is currently investigating the feasibility of producing alloys for the
manufacturing of dental grills where the main objective is to develop an alloy with improved
hardness, tarnish resistance properties and is cheaper to produce.

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2. BACKGROUND
2.1 Background history of dental grills
Dental grills are wearables that can be put on the wearer’s front teeth and they are made up
of gold, silver or other precious metals which can be encrusted with jewels at the pleasure of
the client. Mouth bling was 1st recorded in the 800 BC-200 BC by Etruscan women in Italy,
where the rich women wore decorative gold(figure1) with decades ,the grills design and
metal alloy have been changed to suit the moving trends (Mtao & Motloba, 2021).For
centuries grills/bling have represented a fresh and unique expression of wealth and status.
However the trend of dental grills consists of limitations due to oral health Implications.

Figure 1: Ancient and current dental grills style trends (Mtao & Motloba, 2021)

Dental grills do cause oral implication depending on the oral health of the patient. The major
oral hazard with dental grills relates directly to the oral hygiene as food debris can be trapped
by these fitted bridges where salivary action cannot remove the debris. Improper hygiene
and improperly cleaning the dental grills can lead to accumulation of plaque that can lead to
tooth decay or cavities and discolouring of teeth. The bacteria (plaque) that forms when
wearing dental grills for long durations without cleaning produces an acid that can cause gum
tissue damage(periodontal disease).

The acid is formed when the bacteria in the plaque feeds off sugar in the food and drinks,
overtime the acid can cause tooth decay. The gum irritation can eventually lead to
periodontal disease which may result to tooth loss.

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2.2 Alloys currently used in dentistry
There are two categories used in the manufacturing of grills which are the noble metals and
the base metals. The noble metals are gold, platinum, ruthenium, iridium, osmium and
rhodium, these elements are good for dental use as they are resistant to corrosion in the
hostile environment of the mouth ,silver is a noble metal however is not considered noble in
the dentistry (Zezo, 2015).

Base metals refers to metals which are not noble, for instance titanium, nickel, copper,
chromium and zinc. These elements corrode more as they have a visible effect on the
properties of the alloy such as increasing strength, decreasing flexibility and increasing wear
resistance of the alloy (Zezo, 2015).the main disadvantage is that base metal may cause
irritation in the oral cavity.

The list of various metals and their alloys is listed below:

1. Pure gold

Pure gold has been the metal used in dentistry for decades due to it being an inert metal,
does not corrode and it does not cause adverse tissue reactions but the main disadvantage
with pure gold is that it is very ductile and flexible thus the introduction of gold alloy was
done to improve the properties of pure gold for the dentistry application. The figure below
indicates the elements that can be alloyed with pure gold and also indicates how each
element affects the properties (Zezo, 2015).

Figure 2: Alloying elements for gold (Zezo, 2015)

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The main four gold alloys are shown below:

Figure 3 : Recommended gold alloys in dentistry (Zezo, 2015)

The increase in hardness of gold can be done with order hardening with copper where there
is a decrease in ductility and corrosion resistance, however for this process, the concentration
of cooper must be 11%.Similiar effect occurs with platinum and palladium, with the increase
in high melting point (Zezo, 2015).

The addition of iridium and ruthenium are added to aid the corrosion resistance but added in
smaller quantities. Zinc is also added as a scavenger of oxygen as it will react, preventing
oxidation of other components (Zezo, 2015).

2. Nickel-chromium alloy
Nickel chromium alloys have been used for casting dental appliances such as denture bases
and partial denture structure for over 24 years. This alloy has replaced the uses of precious
metals for partial dentures. The nickel-chromium alloy advantages include high strength,
corrosion resistance and low relative cost. The nickel chromium alloy composition ranges
between 60%-78% nickel, 10-12% chromium and molybdenum added to sum up the
composition (Council of dental materials, 1982).

However Nickel-chromium has its own disadvantages which include cytotoxic of leached
nickel ions present concerns. In the instances of corrosion occurring the nickel gets released
into the oral cavity which may be hazardous.

According to (Dudek-Adamska, et al., 2021) high concentrations of nickel compounds

(soluble and insoluble) can lead to many pathological effects including contact dermatitis,
pulmonary fibrosis, respiratory tract cancer, liver damage and other diseases.

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3. Silver

Silver is known to be a noble metal in applications like jewellery, coins, ornaments and other
applications, however in dentistry silver is not considered to a noble metal as it is too soft and
it corrodes in the mouth which may cause negative effects. Pure silver cannot be used in
dentistry as the oral fluids (consists of volatile sulfur compounds) causes the formation of
silver sulphides resulting to the silver to turn black in the oral fluids. Other than that pure
silver is also known to have a metallic taste when left in the oral cavity for too long this is due
to the release of metallic ions into the mouth and formation of products through corrosion,
wear and abrasion which can occur simultaneously. Patients with bruxism or metallic
restorations are likely to be more susceptible to metallic taste (Clifton, 2006).

In dentistry it is highly recommended to opt for silver alloys instead of pure silver, however
the main disadvantage with the usage of silver alloys is in the tarnish and corrosion rate,
thereof they must be carefully selected as some are quite ductile and are unsuitable for use
in load-bearing areas of the mouth (Zezo, 2015).The silver alloys are presented below:

 Silver amalgam

The amalgam is known as a restoration material which is mostly used in restoring damaged,
decaying teeth, it is also used in the production of dental crown and it is a highly
recommended material in dentistry. Amalgam alloy is comprised of different elements such
as silver, mercury, copper, tin and zinc. The kinetics of reaction between mercury and silver
are not appropriate for clinical use, so that the silver is provided as an alloy with other
elements. The mercury to facilitate the amalgamation reaction. A conventional dental alloy
will contain between 67%-74% silver,25%-28% tin , up to 6% copper, 2% zinc and 3% liquid
mercury (Williams & Dejong, 2008).The main disadvantage of this alloy is the mercury
toxicity.

 Chromium Silver

Chromium is widely used in medical and dental implants, sufficient element content can
provide a protective corrosion resistant oxide layer on the alloy. High concentration of this
element is toxic and carcinogenic hence it is mostly used in lower concentration and as an
alloying element and has increased hardness. Addition of silver as the main constituent in

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the alloy is advised to improve the ductility of the metal at room temperature (Jordan, et al.,
1927).

4. Cobalt-chromium alloy

Cobalt-chromium alloy was developed to replace the nickel-chromium alloy due to its
cytotoxic effect of leached nickel ions present and being exposed to the oral cavity (Marcieca,
et al., 2018).The cobalt chromium alloys consists of high strength, nonmagnetic, creep and
corrosion resistance.

The main reason these two elements are used in dentistry is due to them being
cytocompatible (property of not being harmful to a cell) thus they perform their desired
function without creating unwanted systematic effect on the patient (Marcieca, et al.,
2018).The chemical composition include 55% cobalt and 27-30% chromium with
molybdenum making up the remaining.

This binary alloy with the addition of molybdenum is difficult to use in dentistry due to their
high hardness thus it is advised to add a precious metal like gold or platinum , as it has been
proven to yield no improvement to the corrosion properties but decreases the hardness of
the alloy (Marcieca, et al., 2018).

5. Stainless steel

Stainless steel is used as a material for the orthodontic purposes and it is comprised of iron,
+carbon and consists of small quantities of nickel, chromium and other elements that make
it corrosion resistant .In dental grillz, stainless steel is plated with gold or precious metal to
give it an aesthetic appeal and increase the corrosion resistance.

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 2.3Proposed Alloys
In accordance with the research made, Table 1 represent the recommended alloys in terms
of the health implications, properties, and costs.
Composition Health Properties Limitation Addition
implications
1. Cobalt- 55% Co,30%Cr,15% Mo No health High Due to high Addition of silver
chromiu effect(Cytocompat strength , hardness it is or gold to
m alloy able) improved difficult to decrease
corrosion work with hardness
resistance
2. Stainless 74%Fe,18%Cr,8% Corrodes easily in Corrosion No aesthetic Plating with gold
steel Ni,0.05%C presence of resistance appeal or sterling silver
chloride solution, Durable
releasing ions
3. Gold 78%Au,12%Ag, No Increased
Alloy 10%Cu,1%Palladium,1% implication(Inert) hardness
Zn and 0.5% Ir, Ru, Re and
improved
hardness

2.4 Proposed dental testing environment

2.4.1 Corrosion testing
In order to evaluate the properties of the proposed alloy, it is of significant to obtain the
properly equipped testing environment. The corrosion testing of dental grills alloys it is
required to have a stimulation of the oral environment (artificial saliva).An artificial saliva
solution includes the fusayama-meyer at room temperature(table 2) (Souza, et al., 2017).

Table 2: Chemical composition of the artificial saliva

Content Quantity gL-1

KCl. 0.4
NaCl 0.4
CaCl2.2H2O 0.906
NaH2PO42H2O 0.690
Na 2S9H2O 0.005
Urea 1

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2.4.2 Hardness testing
Hardness measuring methods and qualitative scales were proposed and the methods include
forcing a smaller indenter onto the surface onto the surface of the tested material at a
controlled load. The softer material would consists of a larger and deeper indentation, with
a lower hardness index number (Molapo, 2021).There are various methods used to check
hardness which include usage of the Vickers hardness and Brinell hardness testing methods.

Conclusion and recommendations

Dental grills are considered a type of the tooth jewellery which have and still are in trends.
However there are challenges faced with the metal used for these alloys thus in this research
different noble and base metal alloys were obtained along with the proposed dental testing
environment to assess the corrosion, a hardness test to assess the change in hardness of the
proposed alloy compared to the alloy currently used. The proposed alloys include

 Cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy with an addition of silver /gold

 Stainless steel plated with gold or sterling silver
 Gold alloy with addition of palladium, zinc and other elements

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REFERENCES
Bhatia, S. et al., 2015. Tooth jewellery:Fashion and dentistry go hand in hand. Researchgate, 7(11),
pp. 263-267.

Clifton, M., 2006. Corrosion and tarnish of dental alloys. Americsn dental association foundation, pp.
1-31.

Council of dental materials, i. a. e., 1982. Biological effect of nickel-containing dental alloys. The
journal of the american dental association, 104(4), pp. 501-505.

Dudek-Adamska, D., Lech, T., Konopka, T. & Koscienlniak, P., 2021. Nickel content in human
internal organs. Biological Trace Element Research, Volume 199, pp. 2130-2144.

Jordan, L., Grenech, L. & Herscheman, H., 1927. Tarnish resisting silver alloys. Washington DC: s.n.

Marcieca, S., Conti, M., Buhagiar, J. & Camilleri, J., 2018. Assessment of corrosion reistance of cadt
cobalt and nickel-chroium dental alloys in acidic environments. Journal of applied biomaterials and
functional materials, Volume 16, pp. 47-54.

Molapo, M., 2021. Investigationof microstructure and mechancial properties of steel and other alloys,
Johannesburg: Vaal University of technology.

Mtao, T. & Motloba, P., 2021. Grillz and gold teeth: esthetic,economics and ethics. Thesouth african
dental journal, 76(8), pp. 498-500.

Souza, P., Chattree, A. & Rajendran, S., 2017. Stainless steel alloy for dental application :Corrosion
behaviour in the presence of toothpaste vicco. Der pharma chemica, 9(8), pp. 25-31.

Williams, D. & Dejong, W., 2008. The safety of dental amalgam and alternative dental restoration
materials for patients and users. s.l., s.n.

Zezo, M., 2015. Alloys in dentistry. [Online]

Available at: https://pocketdentistry.com/21-alloys-used-in-dentistry/
[Accessed 18 February 2022].