Finishing Amalgams

[Count Orlok]

I was talking with a few private practice dentists who suggested that right after carving an amalgam to rub a wet cotton q-tip over the amalgams surface to get perfect margins. They never taught this in my operative dentistry course and I was wondering if anybody on here does this or has heard of this? Actually in my operative course they stated that anything beyond post-carve burnishing is rarely if ever indicated.

Or if you don't do this wet cotton technique do you have any finishing tips beyond the normal post-carve burnishing that may be of some service?

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[apaul]

We learned it and I liked the results.... granted I've only worked in simlab so take that for what its worth

 

[servitup]

i like it but i like postcarve burnish just as well.

 

[SuperC]

Other than making it look pretty, it does not play a role in improving your margins.

 

[pietrodds]

As I'm taking the wet cotton roll out I rub it over the occlusal surfaces to smooth. Better yet, don't start an amalgam and you'll never have to be concerned with how to finish them.

 

[jackbauer!]

Other than making it look pretty, it does not play a role in improving your margins.

yeah, i was about to say..

jb!

 

[tinker bell]

Wet cotton is very standard. If you want to polish & make it look good like cast restoration, do a polishing with tin oxide+alcohol 24 hrs after. Tell patient to come back next day, then polish it. You will never do amalgam the old way again if you see how it looks after polishing.

 

[ProstHoney]

'Yes, please doctor, can you make this metal filling stand out even more by making it shiny. The waste of my own personal time for your own twisted aesthetic values is just fabulous!'

 

[TempleDMDKrazd]

'Yes, please doctor, can you make this metal filling stand out even more by making it shiny. The waste of my own personal time for your own twisted aesthetic values is just fabulous!'

yea...thank gosh my dentist didn't polish my amalgams. hopefully, i can start replacing them with composite soon

 

[DrJeff]

Wet cotton is very standard. If you want to polish & make it look good like cast restoration, do a polishing with tin oxide+alcohol 24 hrs after. Tell patient to come back next day, then polish it. You will never do amalgam the old way again if you see how it looks after polishing.

If you really want to make them all shiny, it's much more cost effective to have your hygenist polish them up for you at the patients NEXT prophy visit. For you as the Doc to take up some chairtime and use the supplies the day after is just a way to decrease your production time and increase your overhead, neither of which is a desireable result.

If you really want nice shiny amalgams without the second visit, just leave the fresh amalgam a touch too high, and your patient will self buff that amalgam to a glorious shine real quickly for you Of course they might also complain about some persussion sensitivity

 

[OceanDMD]

If you really want to make them all shiny, it's much more cost effective to have your hygenist polish them up for you at the patients NEXT prophy visit. For you as the Doc to take up some chairtime and use the supplies the day after is just a way to decrease your production time and increase your overhead, neither of which is a desireable result.

If you really want nice shiny amalgams without the second visit, just leave the fresh amalgam a touch too high, and your patient will self buff that amalgam to a glorious shine real quickly for you Of course they might also complain about some persussion sensitivity

Who places amalgams anymore? Thats like using a typewriter.....

 

[K2 Dental]

All day every day! Medicaid clinic. When I leave here after the summer to start my practice I bet I'll never use it again. It's funny because at my D-school we rarely if ever used amalgam... all composite. I only used it for competencies and the WREB. I actually really love the material now, especially in my high caries risk patients. It works wonders and no rubber dam needed usually.

 

[DrJeff]

Who places amalgams anymore? Thats like using a typewriter.....

I still keep a couple of capsules around for those "lovely" restorative challenges such as #18 Lingual on a gagger with macroglosia And I will admit that I do find it semi enjoyable the couple of times a year I place one, that sound/feel of a disoid/cleoid on that fresh amalgam