Presented By
Mujtaba Ashraf
MDS-1stst year
Dept. of Prosthodontics
& Crown and Bridges
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Contents
Introduction to Tarnish and Corrosion
Causes of Tarnish and Corrosion
Classification of Corrosion
Electrochemical Corrosion
Protection Against Corrosion
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Definitions
Tarnish: surface discoloration on a metal or as a slight loss
or alteration of the surface finish or luster.
*GPT-8
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Introduction
Metals are used in dentistry in various forms, such as
metallic restorative materials in the mouth or as various
instruments to be used in the oral cavity or as numerous
tools and equipment associated with clinical and
laboratory work.
All metals used in dentistry undergo tarnish or
corrosion, the percentage of corrosion varying from
metal to metal.
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Tarnish
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Causes of Tarnish
In the oral environment, tarnish occurs due to the
formation of soft deposits (plaque and mucin) and hard
deposits (calculus) on the surface of the restoration.
Stain or discoloration arises from pigment producing
bacteria, drugs containing chemicals such as iron or
mercury, and adsorbed food debris.
Formation of thin films such as oxides, sulfides,
or chlorides may cause surface discoloration
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Corrosion
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Causes of Corrosion
Tarnish is often the forerunner of corrosion.
Water, oxygen, and chlorine ions present in saliva
contribute to corrosion attack.
Various acidic solutions such as phosphoric, acetic, and
lactic acids often present in the oral cavity at proper
concentrations and pH can promote corrosion.
Examples:
Eggs contain high amounts of sulfur. Various sulfides, such
as hydrogen or ammonium sulfide, corrode silver, copper,
and mercury.
Ions such as oxygen and chlorine corrode amalgam.
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Galvanic
Stress
Concentration
corrosion
corrosion
cell/crevice
corrosion
Chemical/Dry
Electrochemical/Wet
corrosion
Classification
ofcorrosion
Corrosion
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Galvanic Shock
A pain sensation caused by electric current
generated by a contact between two dissimilar metal
forming a galvanic cell in oral environment.
Patient may also experience pain by touching the tine
of a silver fork to a gold foil or inlay
restoration.
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Stress Corrosion
Mechanical
Stress
Corrosive
Environment
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Stress
Corrosion
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EFFECTS OF CORROSION
Nobel Metal: Nobel metals resist corrosion because
their electromotive force is positive when compared to
any other metal used in the oral environment.
To protect an alloy from corrosion, alloys used in
dentistry should have at least half the components as
noble metals (gold, palladium, and platinum) Lang et al
Gold, resist sulfide tarnishing.
Palladium is found to be effective in resistance of silver
alloys to sulfide tarnishing.
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Base metals, such as stainless steels, nickelchromium alloys, and cobalt-chromium alloys, are
virtually immune to sulfide tarnishing, but these
alloys are susceptible to chlorides.
Silver Points/Cones contains Cu & Ni cause
corrosion when get in contact with periradicular
tissue and cause cytotoxicity.
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Corrosion of Amalgam
Low copper amalgam has much lower resistance to
tarnish and corrosion as compared to high copper
amalgam due to the formation of -phase, which
has least resistance to corrosion.
It has been found that phosphate buffer solutions
inhibit the corrosion process; hence, it can be said
that saliva may provide some protection to dental
amalgam from corrosion.
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Conclusion
Though corrosion is almost always undesirable, there are
some instances where it is beneficial such as around the
margins of dental amalgam restorations as it seals the
marginal gap.
It is difficult to prevent corrosion completely in oral
cavity. Hence the selection of restorative material and
good oral hygiene helps in minimizing corrosion process.
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References
Phillips Science Of Dental Material 10th & 11th Edition
Restorative Dental Materials Craig 13th Edition
Dental Materials And Their Selection- 3rd Edition By
William J. O'brien
Schoonover, I.C. And SOUDER, W.: Corrosion Of Dental
Alloys, JADA 28:1278-1291, 1941.
Jorgensen, K.D.: The Mechanism Of Marginal Fracture Of
Amalgam Fillings, Acta Odont Scand 23:347-389, 1965.
Corrosion of alloys used in dentistry: A review. Materials
Science and Engineering A 432 2006 Deepti Upadhyay
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