Smaller Dental Restorations

The majority of gold used in dental fillings today is actually a mixture of gold with other metals, called gold alloy. However, these metals typically do not contain mercury such as amalgam filling restorations. In some cases, such as with direct gold fillings, pure gold is used to fill teeth. However, pure gold is generally only appropriate for teeth that don’t need to withstand biting or chewing forces.

Gold is an excellent material for smaller dental restorations, such as small cavities and inlays and onlays. It doesn’t require as much removal of your natural tooth structure to place the material, and these restorations are resistant to fractures. Your dentist can let you know if gold is a consideration for your smaller dental restorations!

Full and Partial Dental Crowns

You may also have the option of using gold for full and partial dental crowns. Dental crowns are used to restore teeth that have been damaged as a result of decay, teeth grinding, or an accident. Very durable and resistant to damage, these dental crowns can be used to provide dental restorations that last many years.

Gold alloy would be used to fabricate the crown in a lab and then your dentist would place it to restore your tooth. Electroformed pure gold may be used in some dental crown applications, making a highly durable dental restoration with superior performance [2].

The Pros and Cons of Gold

Gold is very durable in dentistry applications and can last for 20 years with the right care [3]. Reactivity to this metal is low, but if you have a metal allergy or sensitivity, you should inform your dentist, as you may not qualify for this restoration material.

While gold is an excellent restoration for damaged teeth, it is more expensive and needs to be placed by a dentist experienced in working with gold. In addition, gold won’t match your natural teeth, and many patients want a more uniform look for their smile. If aesthetics aren’t an issue, you may consider gold for your dental fillings or crowns!

Interested in Gold Dental Restorations? Talk to Your Dentist!

There are many benefits to using gold in dentistry, but it may not be the right material for every restoration. If you’re interested in gold fillings or crowns for your smile, talk to your dentist today about this highly durable material!

Sources:
1. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/81918783.pdf
2. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/bf03215496.pdf
3. https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/f/fillings-gold-inlays

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Gold has many advantages for restoring teeth: it’s biocompatible, meaning there’s an extremely small chance the body would react to it. It’s not considered to be toxic to the body, resists corrosion, and is durable and versatile.

Although the demand for gold used in dentistry has dwindled, it’s still used today. When is gold used for smiles?

For Smaller Cavities

The use of pure gold in dentistry is rare; typically, it’s mixed with other metals to form what’s called gold alloy. However, pure gold is occasionally used for very small cavities in the mouth. Gold fillings also last the longest of all the filling materials available. As a result of this and other factors, gold tends to be one of the more expensive materials used to restore teeth, so gold isn’t as popular today when there are other dental filling materials available that are less noticeable and less expensive.

Inlays and Onlays

Gold alloy, which is a mixture of gold with other metals including silver, copper, and zinc, is used for inlays and onlays in large cavities.

When tooth decay is too extensive to support a normal filling but not extensive enough for a dental crown, your dentist may use an inlay or an onlay to restore the tooth. Both of these treat larger cavities without dental crowns, appearing as something between a crown and a filling.

While an inlay typically covers the space at the center of the tooth, an onlay may cover the additional sides of the tooth in addition to the center. Onlays are sometimes called partial crowns because of their extensive coverage.

Dental Crowns

Gold alloy may also be used for dental crowns. There are numerous advantages to using gold for a dental crown as opposed to ceramic:

 Gold seals very well, reducing the chance that bacteria would affect your tooth.

 Gold requires the smallest amount of healthy tooth tissue to be removed compared to other materials when placing the crown.

 Gold is very resistant to corrosion and wear, giving it the potential to last for decades.

 Patients tolerate gold very well and tend to not react to it.

Although gold dental crowns are generally only reserved for teeth that are in the back of the mouth, some people don’t mind having a noticeable gold tooth and will opt for a gold crown in the front of their mouth.

Gold certainly has its advantages when used in modern dentistry, although it’s not as popular today as it was even decades ago. Dentists still use gold for the appropriate applications in dentistry to help protect and restore teeth, especially for fillings, inlays and onlays, and dental crowns.

If you’re curious about the advantages of using gold to restore your smile, talk to your dentist about why this material would be used and if it’s right for you!

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