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Noun: dental amalgam
  1. An alloy of mercury with another metal (usually silver) used by dentists to fill cavities in teeth; except for iron and platinum all metals dissolve in mercury and chemists refer to the resulting mercury mixtures as amalgams
    "Despite controversy, dental amalgam remains a common material for tooth fillings";
    - amalgam

Derived forms: dental amalgams

Type of: alloy, metal

Encyclopedia: Dental amalgam