Tandmaterial

Tandmaterial, in dentistry, encompasses the substances used to diagnose, restore, protect, or replace dental tissues and related structures. The field includes materials for direct restorations placed in a tooth cavity, indirect restorations fabricated outside the mouth, impression materials, luting cements, bonding systems, and prosthetic components such as crowns, bridges, and implants. The choice of material is guided by biocompatibility, mechanical properties, esthetics, radiopacity, handling characteristics, and long-term performance in the oral environment.

Direct restorative materials include dental amalgam (historically common), resin-based composites, compomers, and glass ionomer cements. Indirect restorations rely on ceramics (such as porcelain and zirconia), metal alloys, or resin-based composites fashioned into crowns, inlays, onlays, or veneers. Implants use titanium-based alloys or zirconia. Impression materials range from alginate to elastomeric systems (addition silicone, polyether), with digital intraoral scanning increasingly replacing traditional impressions. Cements and bonding systems include resin cements, glass ionomer cements, zinc phosphate, zinc polycarboxylate, and primers/adhesives that improve tooth-material bonding and retention.

Properties critical to tandmaterial include strength, hardness, wear resistance, fracture toughness, elastic modulus, wear behavior, color stability, translucency, and biocompatibility. Standards and regulation, such as ISO 4049 for polymer-based dental materials and ADA specifications, govern testing and biocompatibility; CE marking applies in Europe. Trends in the field include adhesive and minimally invasive techniques, CAD/CAM-produced restorations, and bioactive or ceramic–composite materials.