Amalgam (dentistry) and for large foundation restorations, or cores, which are precursors to placing crowns. The reaction between mercury and alloy when mixed together is termed an amalgamation reaction. It will result in the formation of a silver-grey workable mass which can be condensed into cavities. After condensing, the dental amalgam is carved to generate the required anatomical features and then hardens with time. In the pre-1986, the standard composition of alloy is referred to as conventional amalgam alloy. More recently (post-1986), there have been a change in the compositional standard of the alloy due to better understanding of structure-property relationships for
Amalgam (dentistry) or longer to reach a reasonably high value. At the time when the patient is dismissed from the surgery, typically some 15–20 minutes after placing the filling, the amalgam is relatively weak. Therefore, dentists need to instruct patients not to apply undue stress to their freshly placed amalgam fillings. In addition, amalgam restorations are brittle and susceptible to corrosion. The alloys are broadly classified as low-copper (5% or less copper) and high-copper alloys (13% to 30% copper). The solid particles of the alloy are either spherical or irregularly shaped microspheres of various sizes or a combination of the two. The