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dental amalgam

/ˌdɛntl əˌmælgəm/
IPA guide

Other forms: dental amalgams

Definitions of dental amalgam
  1. noun
    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
    synonyms: amalgam
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    type of:
    alloy, metal
    a mixture containing two or more metallic elements or metallic and nonmetallic elements usually fused together or dissolving into each other when molten
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