ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the nanoindentation creep behavior of both enamel and dentine tissues. It investigates nanoindentation creep behavior of human enamel at room temperature. Viscoelastic responses of natural materials play an important role in their function to bear and distribute force, and especially for bone, and have attracted considerable attention. A viscoelastic material is one that possesses both fluid and solid properties. He and Swain investigated the creep response of enamel and metallic dental implant materials by a one-step loading-unloading method from nanoindentation with a Berkovich indenter. Due to the compositional and microstructural complexity of dental enamel, nanoindentation creep responses are really far more complex compared to those of polymers. Dentinal tissue of teeth has several phases such as collagen fibers, hydroxyapatite nanocrystals, and water. These are interconnected with each other in three dimensions. Dentine microstructure and properties are important in preventive and restorative dentistry.
