Dental compositions containing nanofillers and related methods

• US 7,361,216 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solventum Intellectual Properties Company (Solventum Corp.)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Kolb, Brant U., Oxman, Joel D., Rolf, Jacqueline C., Bui, Hoa T., Kangas, Lani S., Thalacker, Jason P.
• Primary Examiner(s): KOSLOW, CAROL M
• Application Number:
  US11/588,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20070039519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 106/35, 523/115, 523/116, 523/118, 433/228.1
• US Class Current: 106/35
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 6/20 Protective coatings for natural or artificial teeth, e.g. sealings, dye coatings or varnish
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 6/30 Compositions for temporarily or permanently fixing teeth or palates, e.g. primers for dental adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 6/887 Compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 6/889 Polycarboxylate cements; Glass ionomer cements
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 33/00 Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and only one being terminated by only one carboxyl radical, or of salts, anhydrides, esters, amides, imides or nitriles thereof; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers

Abstract

The present invention features ionomer compositions containing nanofillers. The compositions can be used in a variety of dental and orthodontic applications, for example, as adhesives, cements, restoratives, coatings and sealants.

Claims

1. A hardenable dental composition comprising:

(a) a polyacid;

(b) an acid-reactive filler;

(c) at least one non-pyrogenic nanofiller; and

(d) water;

wherein the composition upon hardening has a visual opacity of no more than about 0.50.

2. The composition of claim 1, wherein the composition upon hardening has a visual opacity of no more than about 0.40.

3. The composition of claim 1, wherein the composition upon hardening has a visual opacity of no more than about 0.30.

4. The composition of claim 1, wherein at least one of the nanofillers and the acid-reactive filler are the same compound.

5. The composition of claim 1, wherein the composition comprises at least 15 weight percent the nanofiller or combination thereof.

6. The composition of claim 1, wherein the composition comprises at least 20 weight percent the nanofiller or combination thereof.

7. The composition of claim 1, wherein the nanofiller or combination thereof has an average particle size of at most 100 nanometers.

8. The composition of claim 1, further comprising a polymerizable component.

9. The composition of claim 8, wherein the polymerizable component comprises an ethylenically unsaturated compound.

10. The composition of claim 9, wherein the polymerizable component comprises an ethylenically unsaturated compound with acid functionality.

11. The composition of claim 10, wherein the acid functionality includes an oxygen-containing acid of carbon, sulfur, phosphorous, or boron.

12. The composition of claim 10, wherein the polyacid and the ethylenically unsaturated compound with acid functionality are the same.

13. The composition of claim 1, wherein the polyacid comprises a polymer having a plurality of acidic repeating groups but is substantially free of polymerizable groups.

14. The composition of claim 13, further comprising a polymerizable component.

15. The composition of claim 1, wherein the polyacid comprises a polymer having a plurality of acidic repeating groups and a plurality of polymerizable groups.

16. The composition of claim 15, further comprising a polymerizable component.

17. The composition of claim 1, wherein the composition is substantially free of fumed silica and pyrogenic fillers.

18. The composition of claim 1, wherein the acid-reactive filler is selected from the group consisting of metal oxides, glasses, metal salts, and combinations thereof.

19. The composition of claim 18, wherein the acid-reactive filler comprises a fluoroaluminosilicate (FAS) glass.

20. The composition of claim 19, wherein the composition comprises less than 50 weight percent FAS glass.

21. The composition of claim 19, wherein the composition comprises less than 30 weight percent FAS glass.

22. The composition of claim 19, wherein the composition comprises less than 20 weight percent FAS glass.

23. The composition of claim 1, wherein the acid-reactive filler comprises an oxyfluoride material.

24. The composition of claim 23, wherein at least 90% by weight of the oxyfluoride material is nanostructured.

25. The composition of claim 1, wherein at least one of the nanofillers is acid reactive.

26. The composition of claim 1, wherein at least one of the nanofillers is non-acid reactive.

27. The composition of claim 1, wherein the nanofiller or combination thereof comprises particles selected from the group consisting of silica;

zirconia;

oxides of titanium, aluminum, cerium, tin, yttrium, strontium, barium, lanthanum, zinc, ytterbium, bismuth, iron and antimony, and combinations thereof.

28. The composition of claim 1, wherein the nanofiller or combination thereof comprises particles selected from the group consisting of silica;

zirconia;

oxides of titanium; and

combinations thereof.

29. The composition of claim 1, wherein the nanofiller comprises nanoclusters.

30. The composition of claim 1, wherein the nanofiller comprises at least 80 weight percent nanoclusters.

31. The composition of claim 29, wherein the nanoclusters are selected from the group consisting of silica clusters, silica-zirconia clusters, and combinations thereof.

32. The composition of claim 29, wherein the nanoclusters contain reactive ions.

33. The composition of claim 8, further comprising a redox cure system.

34. The composition of claim 8, further comprising a photoinitiator system.

35. The composition of claim 1, further comprising at least one additive selected from the group consisting of other fillers, pyrogenic fillers, fluoride sources, whitening agents, anticaries agents, remineralizing agents, enzymes, breath fresheners, anesthetics, clotting agents, acid neutralizers, chemotherapeutic agents, immune response modifiers, medicaments, indicators, dyes, pigments, wetting agents, tartaric acid, chelating agents, surfactants, buffering agents, viscosity modifiers, thixotropes, polyols, antimicrobial agents, anti-flammatory agents, antifungal agents, stabilizers, agents for treating xerostomia, desensitizers, and combinations thereof.

36. The composition of claim 1, wherein a portion of the surface of the nanofiller is chemically treated.

37. The composition of claim 1, wherein a portion of the surface of the nanofiller is silane treated.

38. The composition of claim 8, wherein the composition is selected from the group consisting of dental restoratives, dental adhesives, dental cements, cavity liners, orthodontic adhesives, dental sealants, and dental coatings.

39. The composition of claim 1, wherein the composition comprises a multi-part composition comprising a first part and a second part, wherein each part can independently be selected from the group consisting of a liquid, paste, gel, and powder.

43. A method of preparing a dental article said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a dental composition of claim 1, or 40; and

(b) hardening the dental composition to form the dental article.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the dental article is selected from the group consisting of dental mill blanks, dental crowns, dental fillings, dental prostheses, and orthodontic devices.

40. A hardenable dental composition comprising:

(a) a polyacid;

(b) an acid-reactive filler;

(c) at least one non-pyrogenic nanofiller or combination thereof; and

(d) water;

wherein the composition upon hardening has a polish retention of at least 10 percent.

41. The composition of claim 40, wherein the composition upon hardening has a polish retention of at least 20 percent.

42. The composition of claim 40, wherein the composition upon hardening has a polish retention of at least 30 percent.