Dental glazes and method of manufacture and use thereof

1. A polymerizable dental glaze, comprising:

a polymerizable, ethylenically unsaturated resin composition;

a filler composition consisting essentially of a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane filler; and

a curing system.

2. The dental glaze of claim 1 , wherein the resin composition comprises a relatively low viscosity resin and a diluent monomer composition.

3. The dental glaze of claim 1 , wherein the weight ratio of the relatively low viscosity resin:diluent monomer composition is about 99:1 to about 50:50.

4. The dental glaze of claim 1 , wherein the relatively low viscosity resin is an aromatic urethane (meth)acrylate, and the diluent monomer comprises a multifunctional (meth)acrylate.

5. The dental glaze of claim 1 , wherein the polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane filler has the formula (RSiO 3/2 ) n , wherein R is a hydrocarbon and n is 6, 8, 10, 12, or 14.

6. The dental glaze of claim 1 , wherein the polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane filler has the formula R n−m T n F m , wherein R is a C 1 -C 24 straight, branched, or cyclic alkyl group, or a C 6 -C 24 aromatic, alkylaryl, or arylalkyl group, wherein the alkyl or aromatic groups are optionally substituted with C 1 -C 6 alkyl, halo, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, or C 1 -C 6 perhaloalkyl; n is 6, 8, 10, 12, or 14; m is 1 to n; T is SiO 3/2 ; and F is an organic group comprising a functional group reactive with a component of the resin composition.

7. The dental glaze of claim 6 , wherein the functional group is a (meth)acrylate.

8. The dental glaze of claim 7 , wherein F has the formula —X—OC(O)CH═CH 2 or —X—OC(O)CH(CH 3 )═CH 2 , wherein X is a divalent linking group having 1 to about 36 carbon atoms.

9. The dental glaze of claim 8 , wherein X is methylene, ethylene, propylene, isopropylene, butylene, isobutylene, phenylene, or —CH 2 CH 2 OCH 2 CH 2 —, or —OSi(CH 3 ) 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 —.

10. The dental glaze of claim 1 , wherein the polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane filler has the formula R n+p T n−p−1 D p (OL) p , wherein is a C 1 -C 24 straight, branched, or cyclic alkyl group, or a C 6 -C 24 aromatic, alkylaryl, or arylalkyl group, wherein the alkyl or aromatic groups are optionally substituted with C 1 -C 6 alkyl, halo, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, or C 1 -C 6 perhaloalkyl; T is SiO 3/2 ; D is SiO 2/2 ; L is hydrogen or a hydrocarbon comprising a functional group reactive with a component of the resin composition; and p is a multiple of 3.

11. The dental glaze of claim 10 , wherein the functional group is a (meth)acrylate.

12. The dental glaze of claim 10 , wherein L is hydrogen.

13. The dental glaze of claim 12 , wherein R is an unsubstituted C 6 -C 24 aromatic, alkylaryl, or arylalkyl group.

14. The dental glaze of claim 1 , wherein the ratio of resin composition:filler composition is 99.5:0.5 to 80:20 by weight.

15. The dental glaze of claim 1 , wherein the ratio of resin composition:filler composition is 99:1 to 90:10 by weight.

16. A method of manufacturing a polymerizable dental glaze, comprising combining:

a polymerizable, ethylenically unsaturated resin composition;

a filler composition consisting essentially of a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane filler; and

a curing system.

17. A method of making a dental restoration, comprising

applying to dental restoration a polymerizable dental glaze comprising

a polymerizable, ethylenically unsaturated resin composition;

a filler composition consisting essentially of a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane filler; and

a curing system; and

curing the glaze.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the dental restoration is a temporary dental restoration.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the dental restoration is a permanent dental restoration.