Surface Roughness of Amalgam Fillings Made by Various Technics

Abstract

Various concepts concerning finishing and polishing of amalgam have been reported. The effect of smooth polishing of amalgam immediately after insertion was considered to be lost by crystal grain growth with setting reaction. Consequently, many investigators have recommended that the amalgam be finished and polished at least 24 hours after insertion.2 Burnishing immediately after insertion was a common technic for amalgam fillings. This technic was recently prohibited by many investigators, however, because they believe that the burnishing collects excess mercury to the filling margins and lowers the physical and chemical properties.3 5 Polishing the proximal surfaces that set against matrix bands is quite complicated, however, and many dentists believe that the surfaces are usually smooth enough and polishing is unnecessary. These opinions are mostly conjecture and lack direct experimental confirmations, so the present study was undertaken to compare the roughness of carved surfaces, burnished surfaces, surfaces that set against matrix bands, finished surfaces, and polished surfaces of amalgam fillings.