Temperature Change in Dental Polishing

¹ Department of Operative Dentistry, University of Oregon Dental School, Portland, Oregon

This study has examined temperature change from polishing metallic restorations under a variety of conditions. These conditions reflect a degree of clinical parallel and relate to the type, speed, and mode of abrasive application.

When moisture was excluded from the polishing procedure, a large increase in temperature change was noted. This was best seen with powdered abrasive applications. Similarly, a prominent increase in the temperature of polishing resulted from increases in handpiece speeds of 2,700 to 4,700 rpm. The highest alteration in temperature observed was achieved with the application of the dry prophylaxis cup without abrasive. When abrasive was included in the procedure, small but significant changes in polishing temperature resulted. These generally tended to decrease with the smoothing of the surface of the restoration. The material [see figure in the PDF file] difference of these particular metallic restorations had only a small effect on the temperature of polishing; silver amalgam was representative of those tested.