Using Glass in the Body

Glasses can be used not only to repair broken or damaged parts in the body but also for the active treatment of disease. Biologically inert alkali-alkaline-earth-aluminosilicate glasses are traditionally used in dental restoration. Newer glass-ceramics and glass/polymer composites called BioGlass are replacing metal amalgams used for filings. Modified soda-lime-silica glasses that are bioactive have the capacity to bond to living soft and hard tissues. Soda-lime-silica glasses modified with phosphorus oxide are used as dental implants, for the treatment of periodontal disease and to restore hearing. Rare-earth aluminosilicate glasses are used to deliver large doses of localized radiation to diseased organs inside the body, such as in patients with liver cancer. These glasses contain no alkali or alkaline-earth oxides, unlike other glasses