Amalgam carriers are used to pick-up, transport, and pack freshly mixed amalgam into the prepared cavity. There are two types of carriers: the lever and plunger type. Plunger type is single-ended while lever type is either in single or double ended form.

The freshly mixed amalgam is loaded into the carrier and the plunger or lever pushes the material out from the working end into the cavity preparation. Care must be taken to expel the excess amalgam before it sets inside the working end because it will be hard to remove it when it has already set. The inside walls of the tube is sometimes coated with Teflon so that the amalgam will not stick.

Amalgam Carriers are available in various sizes from small to large. A double-ended type always has tubes of different sizes of each end: a pair of small and bigger diameter tube.

Amalgam Well is an instrument that has a depression on the center and is usually made of metal, plastic or glass. The triturated amalgam is placed into the amalgam well, loaded into carrier, and placed immediately into prepared cavity.

Amalgam Plugger is very helpful in condensing the material inside the cavity to achieve a compact restoration that is more resistant to fracture and dislodgement.

The tip of the working end of the instrument comes in different shapes: either flat, rounded, or diamond. The flat type is the most ideal because the pressure applied on the material in uniform all through the entire width.

Amalgam Pluggers with flat surfaces are of two kinds: the serrated and non- serrated form. Endodontic plugger is used to condense root canal filling materials. The long tapering working end is thin enough to fit into the root canal.

Beavertail or Straight Burnishers have nibs that resemble a beaver’s tail: having a broad flat blade which is smoothly continuous with the shank and meets in a slight curve while the edges and the point are smoothly rounded.

Woodson Burnisher is a combination of carrier and condenser. The flat paddle-shaped end is used to carry the temporary cement and composites into the prepared cavity and the plugger end is used to condense the material.

Ball Burnisher is one with a nib in the shape of a ball and the shank may be mono-angled or curved.

Acorn Burnishers have diamond shaped heads that either smoothly join the shank or with constriction in the junction of the nib and shank. The pointed tip of the head is used to create grooves, pits, or fissures on the amalgam and also on other restorative materials. Acorn burnishers may be mono or bi-angled.

Football Burnishers, with a head shaped like a football, are also good for initial carving. All burnishers are available in single or double ends.