amalgam

A amalgam is a combination or union of elements that have different characteristics or essences. In the field of chemistry, an amalgam is called a alloy that is created with mercury and other metals.

It should be remembered that a alloy It is the result of the melting of two or more elements of which at least one is a metal. Amalgams, in this way, are alloys that have mercury as one of these elements.

When mercury is the metal of greater preponderance in the alloy, a liquid amalgam. On the other hand, if the mercury appears in a lower proportion than the other metal, it is a solid amalgam.

These amalgams are often used in the field of art and jewelry, to modify the characteristics of various elements. The silver amalgamFor example, it enables bronze, brass and copper to be plated. The gold amalgam, for its part, it serves to gild brass, copper and even silver itself.

In the odontology, is called amalgam to the material that, with the aim of restore the pieces, is applied in the holes left by caries in the teeth, restoring the stability to the piece and allowing the person can chew. These amalgams can combine mercury with gold, silver, copper, tin, or other metals.

The normal thing is that in dentistry there is talk of silver amalgam, to refer to said alloy that allows the replacement of the tissue that has been lost due to a cavity, so that the patient does not see affected the use of his teeth.

The amalgam is placed in one of the black cavities, one of those that were recognized and classified by Doctor Greene Black, considered one of the fathers of modern dentistry; There are five classes, which respond to the characteristics and location of the cavities that caused them. The type of injury therefore determines the cavity in which the amalgam is located.

It is important to note that dental fillings do not stick to tissue, and that is why it is said that they are retentive. One of the most obvious benefits over fillings is low cost, but it also lasts longer. On the other hand, there is the aesthetic factor, where your opponent wins: the silver color inevitably stands out in the mouth and this makes many people reject it.

Silver amalgam causes an increase in exposure to mercury, both for patients and for all health professionals. Health that manipulate it. During cremation, the burning of the amalgam contributes to the emission of mercury and pollutes the air.

Finally, for everyday language, an amalgam is a mix that is stable, homogeneous or strong: "With your sales skills and my accounting experience, we have the perfect combination to succeed in the business field".

As can be seen in the previous example, we are facing two individuals who have different abilities, elements that do not coexist in any of them but that it could benefit both of you if you will merge; For this reason, they make the decision to associate to create an amalgam that allows them to achieve their objectives successfully, in the same way that in chemistry different materials are combined so that each one provides different properties and characteristics.

On the other hand, it is also possible to understand the term amalgam with a relatively negative sense, if we take it as a mixture of objects or people that is confusing. If we focus on a literary narrative, for example, where characters or situations of different origins without an order or an apparent reason, then we can say that it is an amalgam that generates an interference in the message.