# Dental Cement **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 10, 2022, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-cement/957526 "2022-01-10T16:44:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19adc/32.png) [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpacemanSpiff_II)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2022, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-cement/957526/1 "2022-01-10T16:44:54Z")
That stuff has to be extremely strong, to withstand the constant pressure on it. What is it, and why isn’t it sold commercially for other purposes? Or is it? [My father had a problem with a crown constantly falling off, and finally went to a different dentist who got it permanently attatched. She told him the first dentist was using a lesser type of cement and she used the real good stuff. But she said the reason most dentists don’t use what she used was that it would make removing the crown, if necessary for whatever reason, virtually impossible and it would have to be cut off in pieces.] ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2022, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-cement/957526/2 "2022-01-10T16:46:16Z")
There’s an entire wiki page for it. > **[Dental cement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_cement)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > Dental cements have a wide range of dental and orthodontic applications. Common uses include temporary restoration of teeth, cavity linings to provide pulpal protection, sedation or insulation and cementing fixed prosthodontic appliances. Recent uses of dental cement also include two-photon calcium imaging of neuronal activity in brains of animal models in basic experimental neuroscience. > Traditional cements have separate powder and liquid compon... ---
**Author:** ![SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19adc/32.png) [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpacemanSpiff_II)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2022, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-cement/957526/3 "2022-01-10T16:47:50Z")
Thanks. But the question is can I walk into Home Depot and buy the same type of stuff for my household, non-dental use? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2022, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-cement/957526/4 "2022-01-10T16:52:08Z")
If I wanted to do that, I’d google the various things shown on that wiki page to see if any of them have household uses and might appear in other products or if they’re available to the public. Picking a random one, Zinc Oxide eugenol and doing a google search for it, reveals it’s readily available on Amazon. [https://www.amazon.com/Zinc-Oxide-Eugneol-Cement-Dental/dp/B07P2L6TJZ/ref=pd\_lpo\_1?pd\_rd\_i=B07P2L6TJZ&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/Zinc-Oxide-Eugneol-Cement-Dental/dp/B07P2L6TJZ/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B07P2L6TJZ&psc=1) ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2022, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-cement/957526/5 "2022-01-10T22:54:17Z")
> [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](#): > > Thanks. But the question is can I walk into Home Depot and buy the same type of stuff for my household, non-dental use? Heh. There’s an entire thread singing the praises of Gorilla Glue. ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-cement/957526/6 "2022-01-11T01:43:52Z")
I’ve been a dentist over 30 years. I use 3M glass ionomer luting cement. Haven’t read the package in years but I don’t think it is Rx only so I imagine one could buy it online. Zinc oxide eugenol is now mainly used as a temporary cement or when one needs a sedative effect. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-cement/957526/7 "2022-01-11T02:12:45Z")
Maybe someone can finally answer my question! I have at home some dental cement that appears to be about 40–50 years old. It is labelled “Dralalith 60 Füllungs-Porzellan”, “Made in Western-Germany by DRALA Dental-KG, Hamburg”. My question is, what is it? (There is a white powder and a liquid component.) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-cement/957526/8 "2022-01-11T08:37:00Z")
Some of the adhesives used in dentistry have found their way into general use - UV-curing resins, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-cement/957526/9 "2022-01-11T08:49:44Z")
Some time ago, my dentist and I discussed crown removal on some future work I anticipated and I asked him how the old crown is removed. He said that normally he avoids attempts to force it away from the remaining tooth, unless it’s loose, and simply drills it off as a matter of routine. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-cement/957526/10 "2022-01-11T14:22:20Z")
> [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](#): > > can I walk into Home Depot and buy the same type of stuff for my household, non-dental use? My **guess** is that the stuff at Home Depot is just as good as dental cement, and cheaper, so there’s no market for it. So why don’t dentists use the Home Depot stuff? Because it’s going in people’s mouths, so they need the expensive stuff that has been verified as safe for human mouths. Again, this was only my guess. But it is very much in line with what I often tell my kids: Most of your questions can be answered with the single word, “marketing”. ---
**Author:** ![SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19adc/32.png) [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpacemanSpiff_II)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-cement/957526/11 "2022-01-11T15:08:13Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > My **guess** is that the stuff at Home Depot is just as good as dental cement, and cheaper, so there’s no market for it. I can’t think of anything in HD which is applied to such a small area and can then withstand the strong pressure that people subject their teeth to, constantly and over such a long period of time. Perhaps I’m wrong. But I would give dental cement a shot. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-cement/957526/12 "2022-01-11T21:14:11Z")
Years ago, I asked my dentist why he didn’t use epoxy. He said he would if he could, but epoxy is not “bio-friendly.”