CONNECTORS FOR FIXED PARTIAL DENTURES

Dr.K.V.Pratheep

 Connectors are those parts of a fixed partial denture (FPD) that join the individual retainers and pontics together. (GPT 8)

Types Of Connectors
I. Rigid connectors

II. Nonrigid connectors

I. Rigid Connectors
Rigid connections in metal can be made by casting, soldering or welding Rigid connectors must be shaped and incorporated into the wax pattern after the individual retainers and pontics have been completed to final contour

I. Rigid Connectors
Cast Connectors
They are shaped in wax as part of a multiunit wax pattern (one-piece casting) Convenient, minimizing laboratory steps Disadvantages : Liability to distortion during wax pattern removal from the cast Restricted to simple restorations

I. Rigid Connectors
Soldered connectors
Soldering involves the joining of metal components by the use of a filler metal or solder alloy having a lower melting temperature than the parts to be joined The parts being joined are not melted during soldering but must be thoroughly wettable by liquefied solder

 Soldering- the filler metal has a melting point below 450 C (842 F), and Brazing- the filler has a melting point above 450 C. Rigid connections in dentistry are generally fabricated above 450 C.

I. Rigid connectors
Connectors to be soldered are waxed to final shape and then sectioned with a thin ribbon saw The surfaces to be joined should be flat and parallel An even gap width of 0.25 mm is recommended Cleanliness of the surfaces is very important to allow good wetting by the solder alloy

Soldering
Joining components of fixed partial dentures Building up proximal contacts Repairing casting voids or broken joints

Requirements of solder alloys

Lower fusion temperature than parent alloy High tarnish and corrosion resistance Flow freely during the soldering procedure Lower fineness gold solders are more fluid and so used for joining castings Higher fineness solders tend to flow less freely and are used for building up contacts

Requirements of solder alloys

High strength comparable to parent alloy Non pitting Color matching to parent alloy. Solder should possess a fusion temperature about 60 degrees C (100-150 F) below that of the metal being soldered

Soldering flux
It is applied on a metal surface to remove oxides or prevent their formation The solder will be then free to wet and spread over the clean metal surface

Ideal properties of flux

Easy to apply and stay where it is applied. Withstand heating without loosing its protective properties. Lower fusion temperature than the alloy being melted. Flow easily over the surface of the alloy when melted Prevent the formation of oxides Prevent the absorption of gases into the molten alloy

Types of fluxes
For gold alloys: borax glass because of its affinity to copper oxides Borax 50-60%,boric acid 12%, silica5% and a fine carbon25%. the silica makes the glass a little stiffer for use on higher melting metals. The fine carbon adds some carbon monoxide at melting temperatures to protect the metal.

 For base metal alloys: fluoride fluxes to dissolve stable oxides of chromium, cobalt and nickel. Composition: potassium fluoride: 50%-60% boric acid : 25%-35% borax glass : 6%-8% potassium carbonate: 8%-10%

Soldering Antiflux
Used to limit the spreading of the solder alloy. It is placed on the casting before flux application Graphite pencil Iron oxide (rouge)

Soldering investment
Similar in composition to casting investments High strength Should withstand heat without cracking Quartz investments are better than cristoballites because of lower thermal expansion

Soldering All-Metal FPDs

Type III and type IV gold retainers are soldered with gold solders of 615 to 650 fineness

Soldering Metal-Ceramic FPDs

Pre-ceramic soldering
Allows for the try-in step and any necessary adjustments can be made Sag can be a problem with high-gold content ceramic alloys

Post-ceramic soldering
Necessary when regular gold is combined in an FPD with metalceramic units All the porcelain construction steps must be completed before soldering

Heat sources
Torch soldering Oven soldering Infrared soldering

Torch soldering
Low heat soldering: gas-air torch

High heat soldering: gas-oxygen torch

Torch soldering
Reducing portion of the flame is used to prevent oxidation Flame is never concentrated in one area but kept in constant motion for even heat distribution Maximum visibility, accessibility and control

Oven soldering
Can be done under vacuum or in air inside a porcelain furnace A piece of solder is placed at the joint space and the casting and solder are heated simultaneously

Oven soldering
Vacuum firing is not needed for soldering gold alloys Air firing is preferred with post-ceramic soldering. With vacuum, there is chance for drawing entrapped gases to the surface of glazed porcelain Provides uniform heating and accurate temperature control

Infrared soldering
Can be used for low-fusing connectors as well as preceramic soldered joints Infrared source produces concentrated heating by optically collecting infrared energy and directing it to the connector area

I. Rigid connectors
Welding

Welding depends on melting adjacent surfaces with heat or pressure. Sometimes a filler metal whose melting temperature is about the same as that of the parent metal can be used

Types of welding
Laser welding. Plasma welding.

Laser Welding
Laser welding is a welding technique making use of the strong thermal effect of laser beam concentrated on a minute spot

Laser Welding
Relative ease and time saving Can be done directly on the cast Less distortion, higher strength and reduced corrosion High cost and technique sensitive Hazardous effects

Plasma welding

II. Nonrigid Connectors

Indicated when it is not possible to prepare abutments for FPD with a common path of insertion Complex, large FPDs can be segmented into shorter components to minimize the induced stresses. In case of pier abutments.

 Designs : -Tenon mortise or key key-way. -split pontic design. -cross pin and wing. -Beyler s attachment.

Mortise tenon:

Indications : when it is not possible to prepare two abutments for an FPD with a common path of insertion. Pier abutment A non-rigid connector on the middle abutment isolates force to that segment of the fixed partial denture to which it applied. Complex mandibular FPD that consists of anterior and posterior segments

 Selcuk Oruc et al. The area of maximum stress concentration at the pier abutment was decreased by the use of a nonrigid connector at the distal region of the second premolar. (J Prosthet Dent 2008;99:185192).

A case report

Contemporary clinical dentistry oct 2011;vol 2

Contraindications: Abutment not suitable for attachment retainer- short clinical crown - Narrow bucco-lingual crown -Large pulp horn -Insufficient bone support Improper mucosal condition-No room for attachment (vertical and horizontal). - Inflammation. - No bone support ( wiry ridge).

 Split pontic design: -attachment entirely in the pontic. -in tilted abutment cases. -mesial segment which is cemented first, has a distal shoe which is the gingival portion of the pontic. -distal segment of the pontic covers the mesiogingival part of the pontic when the distal retainer cemented .

 Cross pin and wing: wing should parallel the path of insertion of the mesial abutment preparation. extends out 3.0 mm mesially from the distal retainer, have a 1.0-mm thickness faciolingually. Its 1.0 mm short of the occlusal surface, and have an undersurface that follows the intended contour of the underside of the pontic.

 Beyeler attachment: Intracoronal, precision, slide attachment. Frictional retention with 2 taper, not adjustable Gold alloy male and female Dovetail design for strength and lateral stability

 Chayes attachment:

 Schatzmann attachment:

Connector Design
Size
They should be sufficiently large to withstand stresses and prevent distortion or fracture during function If small If too large impeded failure small embrasures hygiene is

 Hamid et al 2008 Effect of connector width on stress distribution in all ceramic fixed partial dentures. compared three different widths, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm for connectors. Concluded that an increase in the width of connector reduces the stress concentration and improves the likelihood of long-term prognosis.

Connector Design
Shape
Tissue surface should be highly polished and curved faciolingually to facilitate cleansing Mesiodistally, it is shaped to create smooth transition from one component to the other Buccolingually elliptical in shape to provide strength

 Anusavice et al 2002. Studied the effect of connector design on the fracture resistance of all-ceramic fixed partial dentures. As the radius at the gingival embrasure increased from 0.25 to 0.90 mm, the mean failure load increased by 140%. The radius of curvature at the occlusal embrasure had only a minor effect on the fracture susceptibility of 3-unit FPDs

Connector Design
Position
Connectors are normally placed towards the lingual to improve appearance without affecting plaque control

Miscellaneous
Loop connector /Spring cantilever. Cast rest joint movable connector.

Loop connector

International journal of dental clinics 2010:2(3):61-63

Cast rest joint movable connector

Int chin j dent 2007:7;65-68

Reference
Fundamentals of Fixed Prosthodontics 3rd edition Shillinburg. Contemporary Fixed Prosthodontics, 4th Edition by Rosenstiel Review of fixed partial denture: Lovely M 1st edition 2006. Planning and making of crowns and bridges. Bernard gn smithleslie c howe. J prosthet dent.1986 aug;56(2):249-51. Use of the split pontic nonrigid connector with the tilted molar abutment. O'connor rp, caughman wf, bemis c. Anterior spring cantilever fixed partial denture: a simple solution to a complex prosthodontic dilemma pavan kumar, shivkumar.N.Puranik . international journal of dental clinics 2010:2(3):61-63 .

 Cast rest joint used as movable connector between single restoration and adjacent pontic. Int chin j dent 2007:7;6568. Non Rigid Connector : A Boon for Pier Abutment Fixed Partial Denture - A Case Report JIDA, Vol. 5, No. 7, July 2011. J Prosthet Dent. 2002 May;87(5):536-42.Effect of connector design on the fracture resistance of all-ceramic fixed partial dentures. Oh WS Anusavice KJ. Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry Volume 99, Issue 3, Pages 185-192, March 2008 Stress analysis of effects of nonrigid connectors on fixed partial dentures with pier abutments Selcuk Oruc et al