#194

In this episode of Chemistry for Your Life, Melissa and Jam delve into the chemistry behind modern dental fillings. They explore how dentists use a combination of organic monomers and inorganic fillers to address cavities and the role of light-activated photoinitiators in hardening these materials. Melissa also shares her personal experiences and recent achievements, introduces new community members, and compares amusing dental scenes in pop culture.

00:00 Introduction and Dentist Experiences

00:38 Chemistry in Everyday Life

02:11 Community Updates and Announcements

04:44 Understanding Dental Fillings

08:39 The Science Behind Polymerization

19:08 The Role of Light in Dental Fillings

26:01 The Reaction Begins

26:22 Mixing Dental Materials

27:47 Personal Dental Experiences

30:51 Understanding Polymerization

35:42 Photo Initiators and Family Tangents

43:12 Pop Culture Dentist Moments

48:35 Wrapping Up and Community Shoutouts

1. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/epdf/10.1021/ed076p1497?ref=article_openPDF


2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7867280/

We want to give a special thanks to Bri McAllister for illustrating molecules for some episodes! Please go check out Bri’s art, follow and support her at entr0pic.artstation.com and @McAllisterBri on twitter!

Thanks to our monthly supporters

• Scott B


• Jessie Reder


• Ciara Linville


• J0HNTR0Y


• Jeannette Napoleon


• Cullyn R


• Erica Bee


• Elizabeth P


• Sarah Moar


• Rachel Reina


• Letila


• Katrina Barnum-Huckins


• Suzanne Phillips


• Venus Rebholz


• Lyn Stubblefield


• Jacob Taber


• Brian Kimball


• Emerson Woodhall


• Kristina Gotfredsen


• Timothy Parker


• Steven Boyles


• Chris Skupien


• Chelsea B


• Bri McAllister


• Avishai Barnoy


• Hunter Reardon

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife