What Is Galvanic Shock?

Galvanic shock refers to a type of dental pain experienced as a sharp, jolting sensation in one or more teeth.

Significance

• True to its name, the pain associated with galvanic shock is caused by an actual electric shock. This shock is caused when the filling of one tooth, containing gold, touches the filling of another tooth, containing amalgam.

Aluminum

• Galvanic shock is also commonly experienced when the metal in a tooth comes into contact with aluminum foil.

Galvanic Current

• Galvanic shock gets its name from the current that causes it. Today known as a "direct current," galvanic current is electricity flowing in one constant direction.

Saliva

• Saliva facilitates the shock by functioning as an electrolyte. It contains free ions which create an electrically conductive environment.

Resolution

• If the galvanic shock stems from two unlike metals placed next to each other, such as in fillings, one of the fillings may need to be replaced with a non-metallic substance, such as porcelain.