Did you lose a tooth recently? Is your tooth cavity so large it scares you? Have you lost the confidence to smile ignorant of your peers? How would it feel if you restored the tooth or filled the cavity with pure gold? Dental gold is the solution to all these!
But what is dental gold? Dental gold is a precious alloy of gold that dentists use for bridges, tooth caps, or tooth filling and aesthetics. The gold teeth replace or refill cracked or removed tooth enamels.
Your teeth speak a lot about you. First, teeth give you a bright smile, and confidence to talk to people. And, it’s from this confidence that you stem up your self-esteem and success.
If you have a cavity or tooth decay, you can have it replaced, or refilled with dental gold. In this article, we’ll give all about dental gold.
What is dental gold? What’s the difference between solid gold and gold teeth? Which are the types and benefits of dental gold? Find out below!
Dental Gold vs. Solid Gold
The primary difference between dental gold and solid gold is that solid gold is more malleable, making it unhealthy for your mouth.
Dental Gold
- Strong to exact pressure
- Resistant to corrosion
- Durable in maintaining its unique properties
- Molten or carved alloy
Solid Gold
- Deforms easily upon exacting pressure
- Easily corrosive
- Short lifespan when in use
- Expensive
- Comes in pure form as ingots, bars, and coins
Among the reasons, gold is an ideal metal in dentistry is that it can withstand chewing. With the help of different metals and gold alloys, dental gold is resistant to cracking or chipping under pressure.
Pure gold is soft and malleable, and would easily distort if it replaced your white grinders. But, mixing gold with other metals creates a strong alloy that crushes food without deforming.
Gold alloys are popular in tooth filling as they don’t cause the opposing tooth to tear or decay. The animal of your teeth, and gold, have the same softness. So, the two blend perfectly well.
In case your tooth cavities need filling and no or less opposing force, the use of pure properties like gold offer you a durable restoration. Gold foil filling also offers an advantage in filling that is highly resistant to corrosion.
Gold crowns or fillings are also long-lasting and resistant to corrosion, oral acid, or bacteria. That makes it the ideal metal in dental work. However, there are various types of dental gold. They differ in metal alloy composition, weight, and final value.
Note: The presence of significant amounts in precious metal (high noble alloys) causes hardening solution and leads to widening in between the solidus and liquidus lines of solid solution. The presence of high noble alloys like platinum help increase the melting point of gold alloys.
Types of Dental Gold
Dental alloys can consist of various compositions. Some fall under valuable metal alloys like Platinum, Silver, Gold, or Palladium. In contrast, others fall under cheap metal content like Nickel or Chrome.
Dentists classify dental alloys into three categories according to their level of valuable metal content. They include:
- Precious
- Semi-precious
- Non-Precious
Precious Metal (High Noble Alloy) accounts for up to 60% of highly noble alloys like gold, Platinum, and Palladium. The remaining 40% of metal must be of gold content.
Semi-precious metal (Noble Alloy)– This metal category accounts for at least 25% of precious metal, including gold.
Non-noble metal (Non-Precious Alloy) consists of blends of Chromium, Gold, and Nickel. The category only accounts for less than 25% of precious alloys with some gold. The gold content is highly required, and the more the gold and noble metal are in the dental alloy, the fewer possibilities of damage, corrosion, or oxidizing.
How Is Gold Installed On Your Teeth?
Some of the gold dental fillings that your tooth specialist can recommend include:
Gold Dental implants
When the entire tooth is plucked out and gold surgically put in the jawbone, then it’s a dental implant. The gold replaces the root of a decayed tooth.
Gold Dental crowns/caps
If you have a dental filling you may want to protect it with a strong enamel. Your enamel may not be strong enough and therefore you may need the cap. A gold dental crown is just what it is- a cover for the rest of the tooth.
Gold Dental Bridges
A bridge has a set of false teeth held by an abutment tooth on eight sides of the bridge. If the dentist does not want to do a full implant, they may use a bridge especially if you are teeth are on an unreliable gum.
Gold Tooth inlays and onlays
Is your cavity at the side of your tooth or at the top part that grinds food? If it is on the side, then you need an onlay. If it’s at the top, you will require an inlay tooth operation. Gold onlay crowns covers the cusp of your teeth while the inlay fills between the cusps.
Gold Dental partial dentures
The dentist can plant pieces of curved gold that resemble your tooth onto your gum. If the gum is too weak to hold the metal, the specialist might use a pink-colored plastic.
Cost of Dental crowns
Dental crowns come in various looks, metal content, and benefits. It is upon you or the dentist to choose from different types of crowns. However, some dental crowns are designed to improve your smile, while the dentist recommends others to treat.
It is occasional to come across a precise patient with precious metal composition in a dental crown. But that should not keep you worried. Every dental crown comes with complete information that is accessible through the paperwork, an example of receipts.
Some critical factors like weight are to be considered on the paperwork accompanied by price per weight. A good example is a full Gold crown that weighs about two to three grams.
Now assume that spot gold goes for $100 per ounce. Therefore, if your crown’s alloy ranges ten karats (that is about 40% gold), then its value can go for as much as $40. When the dental crown is 22 karat of gold, its value can go for as much as $97.
Benefits of Dental Gold
Despite gold being one of the oldest when tooth restoration is concerned, it still earns a lead compared to modern restorations. So, what benefits does dental gold restoration offer?
- Longevity: the dental crown-making process leads to a precise integration with your tooth. That gives your restoration a long-term experience.
- Physical Compatibility: a gold dental crown has the same softness as your tooth enamel. It provides your opposing tooth equal wear and no damages as compared to porcelain.
- Contour and effective on gums: Gold dental crown making is anatomically correct, giving the proper silhouette and appropriate tooth shape.
- Strong: It is rare for dental gold to crack or break due to biting and chewing.
- Biocompatibility: In comparison to other products, gold is the most biocompatible material for your mouth.
FAQ
Is dental gold healthy?
For the longest time, gold and silver have served right in dental restoration. Despite the mouth having a harsh environment, gold has some unique materials that withstand the pressure of chewing without cracking.
It is also highly resistant to all biochemical activities in the mouth without suffering corrosion. However, to make the gold resistant enough for the chemical-filled mouth environment, 16k alloy gold with other metals like Palladium, tin, copper, and silver is preferred. That makes dental gold healthy for your gum and the tooth at the oopppostite side.
Dentists may also recommend gold dental crowns for a tooth that is in the process of healing.
How much pure gold is in Dental Gold?
Are you thinking of selling your gold crown, bridge, or filling but wondering how much percentage of the gold is actual? About 65% of your dental gold could be authentic. However, it may differ at some point due to various factors. The type of alloy used by dentists is among several factors that determine the quantity of gold.
A regular dental gold ranges from 10 karats to 20 karats of gold. However, the crown or bridge can consist of high noble alloys like Platinum and gold, adding more protection from damage. The dental crown can consist of about 10 to 14 karats.
Does the dental gold tarnish color?
Dental gold is highly resistant to tarnishing when the amount of high noble alloy is higher, at least 50% to 70%. Alloy metals like tin, nickel, silver, or copper are more likely to discolor in a short period than precious metals. However, you can clean the tarnish by polishing your dental crown with a polishing cloth.
How much is a dental gold crown?
The dental gold crown cost will vary depending on a few factors. One is the amount of alloy present in the piece. You will also find gold crowns, but the composition of precious metals will determine the cost.
The type of alloy composition is whereby a crown with high noble alloys will be more costly than non-noble alloys composition. The number of karats is also a consideration in determining the cost of a dental gold crown.
Can I resell dental gold crowns?
Yes, depending on your location, you can visit the nearest gold dealer outlets specializing in recycling precious metals. They will offer you better buying and selling rates compared to gold and pawn stores.
Why does the dentist recommend gold dental fillings?
The reason behind gold being used by dentists in bridges, fillings, and any other dental work is its ability to withstand conditions inside your mouth. Gold is biochemically inert and doesn’t hurt your health. Also, most people don’t have any allergic reaction with gold, unless it has nickel impurities.
