various types of dental abrasives

1. Arkansas stone

- Semi translucent, light gray, siliceous sedimentary rock, mined in Arkansas.

- It contains microcrystalline quartz.

- fine grinding of tooth enamel and metal alloys.

2. Chalk

- Mineral form of calcite.

- Contains calcium carbonate.

- Used as mild abrasive paste to polish teeth enamel, gold foil, amalgam and plastic materials.

3. Corundum

- Is largely replaced by alpha Aluminum oxide due to its superior physical properties. However corundum is primarily used for grinding metal alloys and is available as a bonded abrasive.

4. Diamond is a transparent colorless mineral composed of carbon. called super abrasive because of its ability to abrade any other known substance. It is used on ceramic and resin based composite materials.

Supplied as:

Bonded abrasive rotary instrument.

 Flexible metal backed abrasive strips.

Diamond polishing pastes.

5. Emery-This abrasive is grayish black corundum that is prepared in a fine grain form.

- Supplied as coated abrasive disks.

- Used for finishing metal alloys or plastic materials.

6. Garnet – the term garnet includes several minerals which possess similar physical properties like Silicates of Al, Co, Fe, Mg and Mn.

-          dark red, extremely hard

-  disks and Arbor box.

-  grinding metal alloys and plastic materials

7. Pumice

- Is produced from volcanic activity.

- pumice is an extremely fine grinded volcanic rock.

- Used in polishing teeth enamel, gold foil, dental amalgam and acrylic resins.

8. Quartz – the particles are pulverized to form sharp angular particles which are useful in making coated disks.

- Used to finish metal alloys and may be used to grind dental enamel.

9. Sand

- Is a mixture of small mineral particles predominantly silica.

- Particles have rounded to angular shape.

- Used to remove refractory investment material from base metal castings..

10. Tripoli

-          Derived from a light weight, siliceous

-          sedimentary rock.

- white, gray, pink, red or yellow.

- Gray and red are most frequently used.

- finishing metal alloys and some plastic materials.

11. Zirconium silicate

- Off white mineral, ground to various sizes used to make coated disks and strips.

- Also used as a component of dental prophylaxis pastes.