Frequently Asked Questions

What is my first step if I want to use the online dental dictionary?

First register to create your free guest account. Once your account has been activated, complete the order form to apply for Premium Membership.

I would be interested in testing your service before signing on for three months. Do you offer free guest accounts?

Yes. Please open a free guest account and wait until it's been unlocked. If you would like access to all the dental terms in the dictionary, please purchase Premium-Membership.

Alternatively, please download our Den-Dic* app - Installation and the first 10 searches are free of charge.

What advantages does the Online-Dental-Dictionary have compared to printed dictionaries?

Our Online-Dental-Dictionary is:

a) more up-to-date

b) comprehensive

c) ensures reliable quality

d) provides great service, e.g. if a term cannot be found, we research it.

What happens if I can't find a word in the database?

Please use the contact form to send the missing term to the editor. He will then research the correct English/German term for you, add it to the Online-Dental-Dictionary and inform you via e-mail.

How is the Online-Dental-Dictionary/Compendium updated?

We research new dental medical/technical terms and add them to the dictionary database. Any terms researched for specific users are also added to the database. The Online-Dental-Dictionary is updated regularly.

How many terms are there in the dictionary at the moment?

We started in 2001 with approx. 3000 terms - at the moment the database contains approx. 20000 terms. The number of specialist dental terms increases continually as new developments and methods become available - our dictionary grows with them. In fact, one could say that our Online-Dental-Dictionary is alive as it just keeps on growing and growing.

Are synonyms (words with the same meanings) also listed?

To rule out misunderstandings, we attempt to list many of the synonyms used in dental medicine/technology.

Who would benefit most from a subscription?

Everyone involved in dentistry who deals with the English/German languages: For example, lectures on dentistry, business letters or press releases requiring dental medical/technical terminology, less extensive translations such as texts for labels etc. It is also very useful for product training courses held in English.

Are special rates available for multiple-user groups?

Yes, please contact us.

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Word of the day

English	German
high-luster	Endpolitur, Hochglanz, hochglänzend, Hochglanzpolitur, Glanz, glänzend, hochglänzpoliert

Focus text of the month

Composites

Composites also composite (from the Latin componere = to compose) are tooth-coloured filling materials with plastic properties used in dental treatment. In lay terms they are often referred to as plastic fillings, also erroneously sometimes confused with ceramic…

Composites also composite (from the Latin componere = to compose) are tooth-coloured filling materials with plastic properties used in dental treatment. In lay terms they are often referred to as plastic fillings, also erroneously sometimes confused with ceramic fillings due to their tooth colour. After being placed in a cavity they cure chemically or by irradiating with light or a combination of the two (dual-curing). Nowadays, composites are also used as luting materials. The working time can be regulated with light-curing systems, which is a great advantage both when placing fillings and during adhesive luting of restorations. Dual-curing luting materials are paste/paste systems with chemical and photosensitive initiators, which enable adequate curing, even in areas in which light curing is not guaranteed or controllable. Composites were manufactured in 1962 by mixing dimethacrylate (epoxy resin and methacrylic acid) with silanized quartz powder (Bowen 1963). Due to their characteristics (aesthetics and advantages of the adhesive technique) composite restorations are now used instead of amalgam fillings.

History of composite development

The essential development stages of composite materials can be illustrated as follows:

1933 discovery of PMMA
1951 PMMA-based composite
1955 acid-etch technique (Buonocore)
1962 Bowen monomer
1963 first composite with quartz fillers
1970 light-curing as an idea
1974 microfilled composites
1977 light-curing composites commercially available
1980 hybrid composites (literature)
1985 hybrid composites commercially available
1990 total-etch technique as a standard procedure
1993 "compomers"
1998 "ormocers"
2000 nanofillers

The material consists of three constituents: the resin matrix (organic component), the fillers (inorganic component) and the composite phase. The resin matrix mainly consists of Bis-GMA (bisphenol-A-glycidyldimethacrylate). As Bis-GMA is highly viscous, it is mixed in a different composition with shorter-chain monomers such as, e.g. TEGDMA (triethylene glycol dimethacrylate). The lower the proportion of Bis-GMA and the higher the proportion of TEGDMA, the higher the polymerisation shrinkage (Gonçalves et al. 2008). The use of Bis-GMA with TEGDMA increases the tensile strength but reduces the flexural strength (Asmussen & Peutzfeldt 1998). Monomers can be released from the filling material. Longer light-curing results in a better conversion rate (linking of the individual monomers) and therefore to reduced monomer release (Sideriou & Achilias 2005) The fillers are made of quartz, ceramic and/ or silicon dioxide. An increase in the amount of filler materials results in decreases in polymerisation shrinkage, coefficient of linear expansion and water absorption. In contrast, with an increase in the filler proportion there is a general rise in the compressive and tensile strengths, modulus of elasticity and wear resistance (Kim et al. 2002). The filler content in a composite is also determined by the shape of the fillers.

Classification based on Lutz is still included in virtually every textbook and based on the differentiation according to macro, micro and hybrid composites and also describes the microfiller composites which include pre-polymers.

There are now basically three different classifications:

according to the consistency
according to the filler content
according to the base chemistry (matrix)

All three versions are correct but only give a clear evaluation of the materials in their interplay as, for example different matrix components can be combined with various filler particles.

Minimally-invasive preparation and indiscernible composite restoration

Composite restorations

Conclusion

Development of high-performance filling materials is crucial for successful dental treatment. It is important to note that, apart from the filling materials, there are also additional aspects that are crucial for successful treatment. These are reliable and correct use of the adhesive system, a patient who performs good oral hygiene and, last but not least, a dentist who processes the material carefully and correctly. (Hickel & Manhart 2001). As in all areas of dentistry the saying "Practice makes perfect" applies.