TPEs grit their teeth for dental equipment

If the eye is the window to the soul, the mouth is the gateway to overall health. Dental health care and oral hygiene solutions are vital. New dental solutions and technologies are being developed to advance oral care, including interdental devices such as smart toothbrushes, water flossing, elastomeric sticks, oral irrigators, dental implants, digital dentistry, teledentistry, and more. These new devices provide patient comfort and access to oral care.

New materials such as thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) support the expansion of the dental technology sector where demand for more ergonomic, functional and cost-effective devices is growing. 

KRAIBURG TPE, a global TPE manufacturer of a wide range of thermoplastic elastomer products and custom solutions for multiple industries, offers high quality and custom-engineered compounds that can provide dentistry equipment designers and manufacturers the flexibility to innovate. It now offers the THERMOLAST® M and THERMOLAST® K series of compounds to meet the safety and design criteria required for oral care devices.

Easy processing, excellent mechanical properties

KRAIBURG TPE’s compounds possess the exact mechanical properties and easy processing characteristics suitable for dentistry equipment applications. The TPEs can enable equipment manufacturers and designers to achieve flexible, durable, products with low surface friction; chemical, abrasion and scratch-resistance; and soft-touch feel to meet the current market demand.

Available in various pre-colouration options, the compounds can be processed through injection moulding and extrusion. The TPEs also have good adhesion to PP, PE and polar thermoplastics, allowing for flexibility in innovating products.  The TPEs are suitable for applications in an array of dental equipment such as hand grip of hand pieces and dental mirrors, dental retractors, mouth props, pluggers, surgical aspirators and more.

Safe, reliable materials

KRAIBURG TPE’s THERMOLAST® M series complies with the VDI 2017 and ISO 10993-5 standard and is also listed in the Drug Master File. The TPEs are sterilisable, are free of latex, PVC, heavy metals and phthalates, making them excellent for use in dental equipment applications. This compound series also has optimum safety with excellent control management in KRAIBURG TPE’s Medical Service Package, which guarantees optimum raw materials purity and solid 24-month supply security.

Meanwhile, selected compounds from the THERMOLAST® K series comply with food grade standards such as the Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, the Code of Federation Regulation Title 21 (21CFR) of the US Food and Drug Administrator (FDA), as well as with China GB (GuoBiao) standards.