National Dental Assisting Examining Board (NDAEB) Practice Exam

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Prepare for the National Dental Assisting Exam with comprehensive quiz questions, including multiple choice and detailed explanations. Equip yourself for success!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

What is the consistency of amalgam immediately after trituration?

Hard and brittle
Soft and easily shaped
Dry and crumbly
Firm and sticky

The correct answer is: Soft and easily shaped

The correct choice is that amalgam is soft and easily shaped immediately after trituration. During the trituration process, the alloy particles and mercury are mixed together, resulting in a pliable consistency that allows the material to be easily manipulated and placed into a cavity preparation. This soft state is ideal for adaptation to the contours of the cavity and for achieving proper margins. As the amalgam begins to set over time, it transitions to a harder consistency, but immediately after mixing, it is predominantly in a malleable form, which facilitates effective placement and shaping by the dental professional. This characteristic is crucial as it allows for the restoration to be properly contoured before it hardens into its final state. Other options describe states of amalgam that occur at different stages of the setting process or do not align with the typical properties of amalgam immediately post-trituration.