Gold is always an indirect dental material, meaning it is first molded in a lab and afterwards 'glued' to the tooth.

 

The following should be considered:

• The metals in the gold alloy

• The dental cement or other bonding agent used to 'glue' to gold to the tooth may contain fluoride or potentially toxic components.

 

Pure gold is much too soft to provide a chewable surface or  make effective dental restorations. Dental gold is always an alloy, composed of a mixture of metals, including but not limited to gold, platinum, ruthenium, palladium, silver, indium, zinc, copper and tin. Each metal used in an alloy is picked for a specific property. Gold with ruthenium or platinum are often selected because they are resistant to tarnish and corrosion and demonstrate only minimal immune reactivity in the biocompatibility testing. Metals like copper and palladium are used to modify the color of the alloy, while others such as silver and iridium are used to give the alloy more strength. Other metals are used to alter melting points, hardness, color, and the durability of alloys. Any given alloy could have up to a dozen different component metals, so it is important to have yourself tested so you know which metals you will react to before they are placed in the mouth.

 

Good choices in terms of biocompatibility are gold with ruthenium for thin restorations and 99.7% pure gold fused to porcelain for deeper restorations.. (GOLDTECH BIO 2000).  These products are free from fluoride, palladium, silver, copper and platinum.

 

Unlike porcelain, where excessive tooth reduction is required, gold remains strong and durable even when it is thin, allowing for the preservation of more healthy tooth structure. Additionally, gold works well with fluoride free dental cements.

 

Gold is best for:

• People sensitive to resin who wants to preserve as much as possible of the healthy tooth structure.

• People with habitual clenching and grinding habits.

 

Potential drawbacks of gold

• Gold surgical implants have been associated with Restenosis. (a narrowing of a blood vessel, leading to restricted blood flow).

• Gold conducts hot and cold temperatures, resulting in some initial sensitivity after placement. This is not the case for gold fused to porcelain.

• Gold is visibly different from natural teeth

• Gold restorations always requires more than one visit because they are fabricated in labs.

 

 

Read more at:

http://drmartharich.com/resources/a-comparison-of-dental-crown-materials/#sthash.fFy1qSkx.dpuf