Schott, a manufacturer of special glass powders for dental fillings made of composite materials, presented its Nanofine dental glass powder at the IDS.
The Nanofine powder consists of particles that measure just 180nm in size.
Finer filler materials mean longer-lasting fillings, according to the company.
However, caries rank among the world's most frequent and widespread infectious diseases.
Painful holes can result when bacteria cause the dental enamel to become porous.
To save the tooth, the dentist has to remove the damaged areas and fill them with a replacement material.
In the past, mainly metallic alloys, such as gold or amalgam, were used as fillings.
However, many patients disapprove of using amalgam, a substance that contains mercury, for health reasons.
Dental composites, on the other hand, are optically similar to natural tooth material, according to Schott.
Their main components comprise a polymer resin, which is initially liquid but hardens when exposed to UV light, and the filler material glass.
Dr Jorn Besinger, head of development at Schott in Landshut, Germany, said: 'Glass powder is a key component of modern dental composites.
'Hardly anyone knows that a dental filling contains up to 80 per cent glass powder.
'This gives the filling excellent mechanical properties.
'It can handle sustained pressure and is easy to polish,' he added.
Fine pigment shades allow these fillings to match the respective tooth.
According to the company, the small size of the particles is also critical to the quality of the composites.
Schott supplies its ultrapure dental glasses in 5um to 0.4um grain sizes.
The technology group has improved the grain size from 'Ultrafine' to 'Nanofine' by further developing its patented multi-stage grinding process.
The resulting particles have a tolerance of 30nm and a very narrow grain size distribution.
Besinger said: 'The Nanofine filler particles improve the appearance and ability to polish the composites and, therefore, also their resistance to wear.
'In order to make it easier to process this Nanofine powder, we offer Nanofine 180 with dispersing aids on an optional basis that prevent agglomerates from forming.
'The fine glass powder can also be combined with coarser particles to increase the packing density of the glass particles contained in the material.
'This reduces polymerisation shrinkage, the contracting of the material that occurs during hardening of the polymer mixture,' he added.
