Biocompatible material for dental appliance / Acrylic?

[builder4wd]

Hi all,

I've been looking the most biocompatible material to make a dental appliance. This is a mouthpiece for people who grind their teeth at night, so I'm looking for a inert biocompatible material that won't leech any chemicals with prolonged exposure to heat and saliva.

I know acrylic is commonly used for dental appliances. What specific type of acrylic is biocompatible and safe for dental use? I made a prototype using sheet cast acrylic, but I'm worried it's not good for prolonged exposure.

I'm also wondering if there are better alternatives to acrylic, like teflon, or some type of plastic that is even more biocompatible and safe if accidentally ingested.

Thanks in advance!

 

[NateBME]

There are a remarkable amount of biocompatible materials out there. I suggest looking at companies like Solvay Advanced, Invibio, Westlake, Lubrizol, and DSM. These companies (an more I'm sure) have lines of medical grade polymers. The 2nd most important thing to keep in mind after selecting the properties of the materials is cost. Many of these companies have large legal and development overhead for the medical grade polymers and they will require licensing fees, royalties, and/or very high purchasing price.

You will need to deside if you need the device to be radiopaque, how it will be processed (molded, machined, other), and what type of tissue adhesion properties you want.