Dental Amalgam – Properties and Uses
Dental Amalgam - Properties and Uses
Objectives
By the end of these revision notes, you should:
What is dental amalgam?
Dental amalgam is a widely used restorative material in dentistry, with several pieces of evidence of use going back several hundreds of years. Amalgam fillings are produced through the mixing of a metal alloy (predominantly silver) with mercury. Conventional dental amalgams have the following components:
| Element | Symbol | Percentage | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver | Ag | 40-70 | Increases strength |
| Tin | Sn | 25-30 | Increases setting time, decreases strength |
| Copper | Cu | 2-6 (low copper) | Increases strength, reduces corrosion and creep |
| Zinc | Zn | 0-2 | Reduces oxidation of other elements |
| Mercury | Hg |
There are three different types of particle compositions in amalgam alloys:
- Spherical
- Lathe-cut – irregular particles of a variety of sizes
- Admixed – this is a mixture of both spherical and lathe-cut particles
Subscribe to access ALL revision notes and cheat sheets!
We provide a wide range of revision notes and cheat sheets to help you study and prepare for exams! To access all we have to offer, head over and subscribe to ExamineDental now to supercharge your revision!
Setting reaction of dental amalgam
Using dental amalgam for restorations
High copper amalgam
Mercury hygiene
The dental amalgam debate
Summary
References