Gutta Percha Plant in Dentistry

Introduction

This essay seeks to outline and research detailed information on the usage of Gutta Percha Plant in Dentistry. It also seeks to discuss the role of Gutta Percha in Endondomics. The essay seeks to outline the uses and properties of this plant, plus the uses and roles of the plant and the plant extracts.

Occurrence and Origin of Gutta Percha

Gutta Percha is a tropical plant that can be found in the South Asian part of the world. This plant is very common for its timber, which is heavy and dark brown in nature. It is a biological resilient plant that can be used as an electrical insulator. This is because of the dielectric strength of the plant or wood for that matter. In the historic days, this plant was used to make furniture, hand molded golf balls, and temporary filling material in dentistry, among many others. Gutta Percha is also said to contain chemical composition that is same as that of a rubber. It has a different molecular shape where it gets its unique properties from. Many people wonder how Gutta Percha is made. Well, Gutta Percha contains a milky fluid which is extracted from the tree, and has the same name as the plant. The fluid is simply evaporated, and the latex becomes coagulated. The latex creates many other different products (MacDonald, 2006).

What is the Role of Gutta Percha in Endodontic?

Gutta Percha plays a very important role in endodontic. It is important to note that in the historical times, there was a constant search of bio-compatible plants to make or create materials.  It was firstly introduced by a scientist, named William Mongmerrie in the year 1843. William discovered that the plant was interestingly generated. In this case, the sap from the tree was able to maintain any tough form. Any heating and molding did not change the tough from. William also discovered that the plant had a cable insulation property. Some analysts have grouped it, as the most plant available in the market from the historic times until up to date. In the historical times, there were many attempts of using the Gutta Plant. It was used as an insulating cable in 1851. However, it was not successful. Later in the years, it was used to create and make Golf balls. During this time, Gutta Percha plant was discovered, and has since been used as a bio-compatible material. This is because this plant is a Tran’s isomer polysophrene. This simply means that it contains a chemical structure that is in a ratio of 1: 4 of the poly – isoprene. This clearly explains the chemistry behind the behavior of this plant extract. Gutta Percha contains two chemical abstracts, namely; Alpha and Beta. These extracts are commercially available at different stores in the Southern Asia and other parts of the world. The big question is what the difference is between Alpha and Beta. Well, Alpha form is very brittle at room temperature, and when heated, it becomes highly flowable, gluey and adhesive. On the other hand, Beta form is not only flexible at room temperature, but also quite stable. It has a high viscidity. This simply means that when heated, it becomes flowable and less adhesive (Rogers, 2012).

In the modern days Dental Gutta Percha is not used in many prospects by dentist. The dentists use it together with other materials products, in order to create and make a special filling for root canals. Endodontic is simply a root canal therapy. This therapy is used to correct an injured nerve tissue. The therapy gives the patient a chance to keep the tooth even after it has been damaged. There are many other ways when a tooth can be damaged. These include; infection, decay, fractures and cracks on the tooth. These causes and injuries affect the nerve tissue of the tooth. When the nerve tissue is injured, the tooth can no longer repair itself. This simply means that it is not responsive to the nerve system. Endodontic is a very simple and quick procedure, and it helps to restore the tooth and strengthen it. This therapy is very important, because without it, many people would lose most of their teeth at a very high rate. Thus Gutta Percha has helped to save many teeth all over the world.

Properties of Dental Gutta Percha

Gutta Percha has many properties. These properties include;

• Dental Gutta Percha is very unique in that it does not in any way react with other body fluids unlike other dental plants. In other words, it possesses biocompatibility which prevents and controls allergic responses from a host.
• Dental Gutta Percha can expand and shrink. However, this plant can only shrink and expand during the transformation phases. This simply means that this plant has stability in certain dimensions, and thus, can be used as a rubber.
• The approximate melting point of the Gutta Perch plant is 600 C, which is average in comparison to other plant extracts. This makes its properties quite different from the properties found in other plants
• Dental Gutta Percha is very easy to handle. This is because the alpha and beta phases are quite easy to manipulate and to use at the same time.

Industrial Uses of Gutta Percha

Gutta Percha has many industrial uses which have economic importance. When the latex from the plant is coagulated, the products which are obtained are rubber and Gutta gum.  This plant extracts have many uses from the historical times till up to date, as mentioned in the first chapters of this essay.

Communication

 The Gutta Percha was used to create cable wires, and insulate them in long distances. However, this connection only lasted for a short period of time. Critics have suggested that the reason for this short lived invention was because of lack of proper materials and properties to create and insulate cable wires.

Medicine

From the historic times until nowadays, Gutta Percha is still being used in medical purposes. Earlier, it was used to treat diseases, such as small pox, eczemas and psoriasis. Nowadays, it is used medically in dental therapies, such as root canal therapy.

It is important to note that Gutta Percha has many qualities which helped to manufacture industrial belts and Golf balls in the historic times. It is also used as a rubber to create and develop rubber products. In the historic times it was used to create and develop bicycle tires.

Gutta Percha is a very common name in chemistry, and is sometimes used to train and educate chemistry students all over the world. The properties of these extract are not only unique, but are quite different from other plant extracts. In this regard, Gutta Percha is also used for educational purposes at all levels of education and training (McGowan, 2009).

Conclusion

Gutta Percha is a very unique plant which extracts has not only attracted many reviews and criticism, but also many medical and industrial uses. This essay has discussed the properties, uses and benefits of Gutta Percha plant in essence of its uses and uniqueness.