
If a filling makes contact with a gold inlay in a nearby tooth then:
(A) Unpleasant metallic taste is released.
(B) Corrosion of filling (Sn/Ag/Hg) takes place.
(C) Both (a) and (b) take place.
(D) None of the above takes place.
Answer
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Hint: This question is in context with dentistry. Think about what a filling is and what an inlay is. Here the inlay is made up of gold. Find out the constituents present in the filling. Think what happens, from a chemistry point of view, when gold comes in contact with amalgam.
Complete step by step solution:
- A dental filling is a mixture or paste used to seal the cavities present in teeth.
- An inlay is a layer of molded metal that is used to seal the larger cavities present inside the teeth. An inlay is pre-molded by the dentist and just placed in the cavity of the decayed tooth.
- A dental filling is made up of amalgam which is an alloy of mercury. A dental filling amalgam consists of mercury, silver and tin. An amalgam is used to seal the smaller gaps called cavities in the teeth because it is easier to prepare and soft to mix and also, to apply on the cavities in the teeth and requires less time for the procedure to complete.
- An inlay is made up of metal such as gold or in some cases, porcelain is also used.
- When gold comes in contact with mercury, mercury starts to eat gold. Basically, mercury starts forming amalgam with gold. Gold is an inert metal but it has free electrons present in it.
- Mercury starts to interact with the electrons present in gold and thus, starts forming amalgam with gold.
- Therefore, there is corrosion of filling which takes place as mercury starts reacting with gold forming gold amalgam by breaking lattice bonds of gold and this process is called amalgamation.
- As the mercury starts to form amalgam with gold, it starts leaking copper and tin slowly thereby leading to an unpleasant metallic taste.
- Therefore, if a filling makes contact with a gold inlay in a nearby tooth then both (a) and (b) take place.
- Therefore, the answer is option (C).
Note: Remember gold is a good conductor and it is a metal. Metals contain free electrons. Mercury being a liquid metal, starts to interact with the free electrons of gold, as it is easy for mercury atoms to vibrate, and forms gold amalgam. Gold amalgam once formed can’t be reversed back.
Complete step by step solution:
- A dental filling is a mixture or paste used to seal the cavities present in teeth.
- An inlay is a layer of molded metal that is used to seal the larger cavities present inside the teeth. An inlay is pre-molded by the dentist and just placed in the cavity of the decayed tooth.
- A dental filling is made up of amalgam which is an alloy of mercury. A dental filling amalgam consists of mercury, silver and tin. An amalgam is used to seal the smaller gaps called cavities in the teeth because it is easier to prepare and soft to mix and also, to apply on the cavities in the teeth and requires less time for the procedure to complete.
- An inlay is made up of metal such as gold or in some cases, porcelain is also used.
- When gold comes in contact with mercury, mercury starts to eat gold. Basically, mercury starts forming amalgam with gold. Gold is an inert metal but it has free electrons present in it.
- Mercury starts to interact with the electrons present in gold and thus, starts forming amalgam with gold.
- Therefore, there is corrosion of filling which takes place as mercury starts reacting with gold forming gold amalgam by breaking lattice bonds of gold and this process is called amalgamation.
- As the mercury starts to form amalgam with gold, it starts leaking copper and tin slowly thereby leading to an unpleasant metallic taste.
- Therefore, if a filling makes contact with a gold inlay in a nearby tooth then both (a) and (b) take place.
- Therefore, the answer is option (C).
Note: Remember gold is a good conductor and it is a metal. Metals contain free electrons. Mercury being a liquid metal, starts to interact with the free electrons of gold, as it is easy for mercury atoms to vibrate, and forms gold amalgam. Gold amalgam once formed can’t be reversed back.
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