The key difference between addition silicone and condensation silicone is that addition silicone forms from an addition chemical reaction, whereas condensation silicone forms from a condensation chemical reaction.
Addition silicones and condensation silicones are two types of impression materials. These are important in removable metal dentures, indirect cast restorations, matrices for indirect restorations, etc.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Addition Silicone
3. What is Condensation Silicone
4. Addition Silicone vs Condensation Silicone in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Addition Silicone vs Condensation Silicone
What is Addition Silicone?
Addition silicone is polyvinyl siloxane formed from the addition reaction of silicone elastomer. This material is also named as poly-vinyl siloxane, vinyl polysiloxane, and vinylpolysiloxane. This material is a viscous liquid that can solidify quickly into a rubber-like solid. This solid substance takes the shape of whatever surface it is lying against during the curing process. Similar to two-part epoxy material, we need to keep the two-component liquids we use for the production of additional silicone in two separate tubes until the moment we mix them. This is because once we mix them, the mixture tends to harden rapidly.
Addition silicone is widely used in dentistry as an impression material. It is also useful in audiology to take the impressions for fitting custom hearing protection or hearing aids. In addition, it is useful in industrial applications; for example, it helps in the inspection of interior features of machined parts such as grooves inside bores, etc.
The addition reaction gives hydrogen gas as well as addition silicone. Therefore, we need to wait up to an hour before pouring the ensuing cast into the addition silicone material after its production. Moreover, when preparing the material, we need to use the simple mixing of colored putty with a white putty, where the chemical reaction begins.
What is Condensation Silicone?
Condensation silicone is a type of silicone that forms as a result of a condensation reaction. Usually, condensation silicones come in two pastes. The first paste is named the base paste and consists of polydimethyl siloxane along with fillers and color pigments. The second paste is named acceleration paste, and it contains alkyl silicate, stannous octate, and fillers. Thereafter, we can mix the two pastes, which is the time when the chemical process begins.
Condensation silicone was the first type of silicone impression material to be used. This material was also known as conventional silicones. The setting of this material usually occurs at room temperature. Therefore, we can also name them RTC silicones.
What is the Difference Between Addition Silicone and Condensation Silicone?
Addition silicones and condensation silicones are two types of impression materials. The key difference between addition silicone and condensation silicone is that addition silicone forms from an addition chemical reaction, whereas condensation silicone forms from a condensation chemical reaction. While addition silicone is very pliable and tough, condensation silicone has low flexibility and slight toughness.
Generally, condensation silicone has a more economical value compared to the addition silicone. Besides, addition silicone provides virtually no shrinkage while condensation silicone has a slight degree of shrinkage.
The below infographic presents the differences between addition silicone and condensation silicone in more detail, in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Addition Silicone vs Condensation Silicone
Addition silicones and condensation silicones are two types of impression materials. These are important in removable metal dentures, indirect cast restorations, matrices for indirect restorations, etc. The key difference between addition silicone and condensation silicone is that addition silicone forms from an addition chemical reaction, whereas condensation silicone forms from a condensation chemical reaction.
Reference:
1. “Condensation Cure Silicone.” An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Zahnabdruck 2012 PD 01” By Bin im Garten – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia