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Classify silver alloys. (June 2014, 5 Marks)
Or
Write a short note on the classification of silver amalgam.
Answer:
The following are the classifications for silver amalgam:
Classification of Dental Amalgam (Adapted from Marzouk, 1997)
Amalgam alloy can be classified as
- According to the content
- Copper amalgam
- Silver amalgam
- Preamalgamated alloys
- Amalgam with noble metals
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According To The Number Of Alloy Metals
- Binary alloys (silver–tin)
- Ternary alloys (silver–tin–copper)
- Quaternary alloys (silver—tin—copper—indium)
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According To Whether The Powder Consists Of Unmixed Or Admixed Alloys
- Admixed/dispersion or blended alloys
- Single compositional/uni-compositional alloys
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According To The Shape Of The Powdered Particles
- Spherical shape (smooth-surfaced spheres)
- Lathe—cut (irregular, ranging from spindles to shavings)
- Combination of spherical and lathe-cut (admixed)
According to the powder’s particle size:
- Microcut
- Finecut
- Coarsecut
According to the copper content of powder:
- Low-copper content alloy: Less than 6%
- High-copper content alloy: 6% to 30%
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According to the addition of noble metals:
- Platinum
- Gold
- Palladium
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According to the presence of zinc:
- Zinc containing (more than 0.01%)
- Non-zinc-containing (less than 0.01%)
Additional Classification Based On The Generations Of Amalgam
- The first-generation amalgam was that of GV Black, i.e. three parts silver and one part tin (peritectic alloy)
- Second-generation amalgam alloys: Three parts silver, one part tin, 4% copper to decrease the plasticity and to increase the hardness and strength, and 1% zinc which acts as an oxygen scavenger and decreases brittleness
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- Third-generation: First-generation + spherical amalgam— copper eutectic alloy
- Fourth-generation: Adding copper up to 29% to original silver and tin powder to form ternary alloy so that tin is bound to copper
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- Fifth-generation: Quaternary alloy, i.e. silver, tin, copper, and indium
- Sixth-generation consists of a eutectic alloy containing silver (62%), copper (28%), and palladium (10%) which is lathe-cut and blended into the first-, second-, or third-generation amalgam in the ratio of 1:2.
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