MARGINATING, FINISHING AND POLISHING AMALGAMS

KEY TERMS
FINISHING- procedure used to reduce excess restorative

material to develop appropriate occlusion and contour POLISHING- procedure that produces a shiny smooth surface by eliminating fine scratches, minor surface imperfections, and surface stains using mild abrasives

GOAL OF FINISHING AND POLISHING RESTORATIONS

Remove excess material
Smooth roughened surfaces Produce esthetically pleasing appearance Minimum trauma to hard and soft tissues

FINISHING AND POLISHING INVOLVES

Removing marginal irregularities
Defining anatomic contours and occlusion Removing surface roughness of restoration Producing a mirrorlike surface luster

BENEFITS OF SMOOTH SURFACES

Resists accumulation of soft deposits/stains
Less irritating to tissues Reflects light better (esthetics) More resistant to corrosion or breakdown Contributes to appearance and longevity IMPROPER USE OF ABRASIVES

leads to roughening and overreduction of tooth and restorative surfaces

CLINICIANS RESPONSIBILITY
Recognize different types of tooth structures and restorative surfaces abrade differently Teach patient proper home care
FINISHING AND POLISHING: use a

diminishing series of abrasives to a surface to contour, smooth, and bring to a luster

ABRASIVES
Material composed of particles of sufficient

hardness and sharpness to cut or scratch a softer material when drawn across its surface Effect of abrasive- directly related to the properties an the material it is abrading Factors affecting abrasion-: Rate- 1. determined by size, irregularity, and hardness of particles 2. number of particles contacting surface 3. pressure an speed of application

ABRASIVES

Size, irregularity an hardness of particles: Determine depth of scratches amount of material being removed HARDNESS: ablility of a material to resist abrasion MOH scale:ranks materials by their abrasion resistance SIZE AND SHAPE OF PARTICLES: important consideration in manipulation of abrasive ABRASIVE PARTICLES: Classified from coarse to fine size measured in micrometers GRIT: refers to the size of the abrasive particles NUMBERS CONTACT SURFACE: Faster abrasion- more concentrated particles Lubricant- dilutes concentration of particles (abrasion reduced) Rotary cutting instruments: abrasive discs and stones

ABRASIVES: SPEED AND PRESSURE

INCREASED: increased rate of abrasion
INCREASED PRESSURE: cause deeper

scratches, less control of material being removed, decreases tactile sensitivity, may reduce cutting efficiency of abrasive by decreasing torque, produce frictional heat

TYPES OF ABRASIVES
LOOSE- manufactured in powders and pastes, classified by

particle size or grit Grits: coarse, medium, fine, superfine Application: wheels, brushes, cups, soft pad BONDED- rotary instruments Abrasive particle incorporated in a binder to form the shape of the device Shapes: points, disks, cups, brushes, wheels used for intermediate finishing and initial polishing of restorations COATED ABRASIVES: supplied in rotary discs and hand held finishing strips; abrasive particles on one side of backing;safesided- protect adjacent tooth from abrasive

MARGINATION
Process of removing restoration

prematurities to bring restoration flush with cavosurface tooth structure

AMALGAM
Should be polished no sooner than 24 hours after

insertion Evaluate cavosurface margins for excess material and remove as indicated Finish using abrasive devices to remove severe scratches and surface defects Use bonded and coated abrasives or finishing burs Use bonded, coated, or loose abrasives to polish

TYPICAL PROBLEMS WITH AMALGAM RESTORATIONS

Overhang of cavosurface margin
Anatomy Contact Tarnish Corrosion Fracture Poor carving

FINISHING AND POLISHING CONSIDERATIONS

Whenever finishing polishing is performed
Not finished, polishing may be done alone Abrasives during finishing coarser than milder

abrasives during polishing Must avoid generating heat in amalgam Excessive heat generation may result in increased suseptibility to breakdown After each step when burs or abrasives are changed area should be rinsed, dried, and evaluated

PROCEDURE FOR AMALGAM POLISHING

1. Evaluate restoration

Surfaces Margins Occlusion Proximal contacts

2. Discuss procedure with patient

Rationale Sensations

PROCEDURE CONTD
3. Gather necessary equipment
Mouth mirror Articulating paper

Explorer
Slow-speed handpiece Contra angle or prophy angle Air/water syringe

Rubber dam set-up/cotton rolls

Finishing burs Abrasive stones and disc
Green stone

White stone
Finishing discs

Hand instruments: dental file, gold knife, amalgam knife

PROCEDURE CONTD
3. Gather necessary equipment
Finishing strips Dental floss or tape Polishing supplies Rubber points and cups
Brown points Green points Yellow-banded green points 2 dappen dishes
Pumice and water Tin oxide and water

Polishing cups Brushes- tapered and wheel

PROCEDURE CONTD
4. Isolate area with cotton rolls 5. Smooth proximal areas if necessary

Hand instruments Finishing bur Finishing discs Finishing strips

6. Remove occlusal excess and eliminate flash

With burs or stones Sequence Technique Direction of stroke Direction of work Pitted areas

PROCEDURE CONTD
7.DEFINE OCCLUSAL ANATOMY
8. SMOOTH CAVOSURFACE MARGINS AND THE

OCCLUSAL SURFACE 9. SMOOTH FACIAL AND LINGUAL SURFACES 10. EVALUATE THE POLISHING PROCEDURE 11. AMALGAM POLISHING Pumice and tin oxide slurries Rubber cups and points impregnated with abrasive particles

EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR AMALGAM FINISHING

Excessive amalgam has been removed from

cavosurface margins Amalgam appears to be smooth Occlusion registers properly with articulating paper Occlusal and marginal anatomy is better defined Porosity and pits are removed Contour of the restoration approximates the original contour of the tooth Adjacent tooth structure is left undamaged

EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR AMALGAM POLISHING

Amalgam is void of scratches and appears smooth
Amalgam has a high polish and lustrous shine There is no damage to adjacent tooth structure

Time utilization is satisfactory

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