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Dental Amalgam

Professor Dr Tahir Ali Khan

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Maturity
is only a short break in
adolescence

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Objective

 At the end of the lecture the student will be


able to know
 Why we should use amalgam
 Basic amalgamation reaction

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Why Amalgam?
 Inexpensive?
 Ease of use
 Proven track record
 >100 years Indium
 Familiarity
 Strong & can withstand the forces
of chewing
 Filling can be completed in one Tin
visit
 Resin-free Palladium
 Less allergies than
composite

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Zinc Copper5
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Basic Setting Reactions

 Conventional Low-Copper Alloys


 Admixed High-Copper Alloys
 Single Composition High-Copper Alloys

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Setting Reaction

 Similarities as well as difference between the chemical


reaction for the low and high copper amalgams

 The difference relate to the variations in composition of


material and not to the difference in particle shape

 Although the rate at which setting occurs is dictated to


some extent by particle size and shape

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Basic Composition

 A silver-mercury matrix containing filler particles of silver-tin


 Filler (bricks)
 Ag Sn called gamma
3
 can be in various shapes
• irregular (lathe-cut)

• spherical
or a combination
 Matrix
 Ag Hg called gamma 1
2 3
 cement
 Sn Hg called gamma 2
8
 voids

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Conventional Low-Copper Alloys

 Dissolution and precipitation


 Hg dissolves Ag and Sn Ag-Sn Alloy

from alloy Hg Hg

SnAg Ag
 Intermetallic compounds Ag
Sn
Sn
Ag-Sn Ag-Sn
formed Alloy
Mercury
Alloy
(Hg)

Ag3Sn + Hg  Ag3Sn + Ag2Hg3 + Sn8Hg


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Phillip’s Science of Dental Materials 2003
Conventional Low-Copper Alloys
 Gamma () = Ag3Sn
 unreacted alloy
Hg
 strongest phase and
Ag-Sn Alloy
corrodes the least Hg
 forms 30 - 40 % of Hg
Ag
Sn Ag
volume Ag
Sn
Sn
Ag-Sn Ag-Sn
of set amalgam Alloy Alloy
Mercury

Ag3Sn + Hg = Ag3Sn + Ag2Hg3 + Sn8Hg


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Conventional Low-Copper Alloys

 Gamma 1 (1) = Ag2Hg3 Ag-Sn Alloy

 matrix for unreacted alloy


and 2nd strongest phase
 10 micron grains
1
Ag-Sn Ag-Sn
binding gamma () Alloy Alloy

 60% of volume

Ag3Sn + Hg  Ag3Sn + Ag2Hg3 + Sn8Hg


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Phillip’s Science of Dental Materials 2003
Conventional Low-Copper Alloys
 Gamma 2 (2) = Sn8Hg
Ag-Sn Alloy
 weakest and softest phase
 corrodes fast, voids form
 corrosion yields Hg which
reacts with more gamma () Ag-Sn
Ag-Sn Alloy
 10% of volume Alloy 2
 volume decreases with time
due to corrosion

Ag3Sn + Hg  Ag3Sn + Ag2Hg3 + Sn8Hg


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Phillip’s Science of Dental Materials 2003
Admixed High-Copper Alloys
:
 Called blended alloys as well
 Contain 2 parts by weight of conventional composition
lathe cut particles plus one part by weight of spheres of a
silver copper eutectic alloy
 Made by mixing particles of silver and tin with particles of
silver and copper
 The silver tin particle is usually formed by the lathe cut
method, whereas the silver copper particle is usually
spherical in shape

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Composition

 Silver-69 %
 Copper-13 %
 Tin-17 %
 Zinc-1 %
 Amalgam made from these powders are stronger than
amalgam made from lathe cut low copper alloys because
of strength of Ag-Cu eutectic alloy particles
 Ag-Cu particles probably act as strong fillers
strengthening the amalgam matrix
 Total copper content ranges from 9-20%

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Admixed High-Copper Alloys
 Ag enters Hg from Ag-Cu spherical eutectic
particles
 eutectic Ag-Cu Alloy
 an alloy in which the elements are completely soluble in
liquid solution but separate into distinct areas upon
solidification
Hg Hg
 Both Ag and Sn enter Hg from Ag3Sn particles Ag Ag Ag
Ag
Sn
Ag-Sn Sn Ag-Sn
Alloy Alloy
Mercury

Ag3Sn + Ag-Cu + Hg  Ag3Sn + Ag-Cu + Ag2Hg3 + Cu6Sn5


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Phillip’s Science of Dental Materials 2003
Admixed High-Copper Alloys
 Sn diffuses to surface of

Ag-Cu particles Ag-Cu Alloy

 reacts with Cu to form


(eta) Cu6Sn5 ()
Ag-Sn
or Cu3Sn () Alloy
Ag-Sn
Alloy

 around unconsumed
Ag-Cu particles
Ag3Sn + Ag-Cu + Hg  Ag3Sn + Ag-Cu + Ag2Hg3 + Cu6Sn5
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Phillip’s Science of Dental Materials 2003
Admixed High-Copper Alloys

Gamma 1 (1) (Ag2Hg3)  Ag-Cu Alloy

surrounds () eta phase


(Cu6Sn5) and gamma ()
alloy particles (Ag3Sn) Ag-Sn
Alloy
Ag-Sn
Alloy
1

Ag3Sn + Ag-Cu + Hg  Ag3Sn + Ag-Cu + Ag2Hg3 + Cu6Sn5


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Phillip’s Science of Dental Materials 2003
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Single Composition High-Copper Alloys

 Also called Unicomposition


 It is so called as it contains particles of same
composition
 Usually spherical single composition alloys are used
 As lathe cut, high copper alloys contain more than 23%
copper.

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Composition

 1. Ternary alloy in spherical form containing


 Silver 60%
 Tin 25%
 Copper 15%
 2. Quaternary alloy in spheroidal form containing
 Silver: 59%
 Copper 13%
 Tin: 24%
 Indium 4%

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Single Composition High-Copper Alloys

 Gamma sphere () (Ag3Sn)



with epsilon coating ()
Ag-Sn Alloy

(Cu3Sn) Sn Sn
Ag

Ag
 Ag and Sn dissolve in Hg Ag-Sn Alloy
Ag-Sn Alloy

Mercury (Hg)

Ag3Sn + Cu3Sn + Hg  Ag3Sn + Cu3Sn + Ag2Hg3 + Cu6Sn5



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Phillip’s Science of Dental Materials 2003
Single Composition
High-Copper Alloys
 Gamma 1 (1) (Ag2Hg3) crystals
grow binding together partially- Ag-Sn Alloy
dissolved gamma () alloy 
particles (Ag3Sn)
 Epsilon () (Cu3Sn) develops Ag-Sn Alloy
crystals on surface of Ag-Sn Alloy

gamma particle (Ag3Sn) 1


in the form of eta () (Cu6Sn5)
 reduces creep
 prevents gamma-2 formation
Ag3Sn + Cu3Sn + Hg  Ag3Sn + Cu3Sn + Ag2Hg3 + Cu6Sn5

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Phillip’s Science of Dental Materials 2003


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Classification according to compositional changes of
succeeding generations of amalgam

 First generation amalgam was that of G. V Black i.e. 3 parts silver


one part tin (peritectic alloy)
 Second generation amalgam alloys - 3 parts silver, 1 part tin, 4%
copper to decrease the plasticity and to increase the hardness and
strength. 1 % zinc, acts as a oxygen scavenger and to decrease the
brittleness.
 Third generation: First generation + Spherical amalgam – copper
eutectic alloy
 Fourth generation: Adding copper upto 29% to original silver and tin
powder to form ternary alloy. So that tin is bounded to copper
 Fifth generation. Quatemary alloy i.e. Silver, tin, copper and indium
 Sixth generation (consisting eutectic alloy).

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THANK YOU
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