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Dentistry vocabulary · Fillings and Restorations

Amalgam

Meaning in dentistry, with examples

/əˈmælɡəm/nounCommon term

In dentistry, amalgam means: A silver-gray filling material made by mixing mercury with a powder of silver, tin and copper. It is strong and long-lasting but does not match the color of the tooth.

In Turkish: amalgam, amalgam dolgu, gümüş dolgu

How it is used

Patients call it a silver or metal filling. Many countries are reducing its use under the Minamata Convention on mercury, so dentists now mostly replace or repair existing amalgams.

Example sentences

  1. The old amalgam has a crack running through it.

  2. She asked us to replace her amalgam fillings with white ones.

Common collocations

  • amalgam filling
  • replace an amalgam
  • amalgam restoration
  • dental amalgam
  • fillingMaterial placed in a tooth to repair the hole left after decay is removed, or to rebuild a broken part, so that the tooth regains its shape and function.
  • compositeA tooth-colored filling material made of resin mixed with fine glass or ceramic particles. It is bonded to the tooth and usually hardened with a blue curing light.
  • cavityA hole in a tooth caused by decay. In restorative dentistry it also means the space the dentist shapes in the tooth before placing a filling.
  • occlusalDescribes the biting or chewing surface of a back tooth, or anything to do with the way the upper and lower teeth meet.

More terms: Fillings and Restorations

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.