Dental gold: what standard of gold is used in dentistry, indications and contraindications for use, procedure for installing crowns

A gold crown is a kind of “cover” that is placed on a seriously damaged tooth that is unable to perform its functions. This “cap” helps a person chew food comfortably again without experiencing discomfort or pain. The prosthesis can be made either for one damaged tooth or in the form of a bridge that fills the empty space in place of several missing teeth.

Crowns are made from high-grade gold - 900 gold standard. It is this high-quality metal that is best suited for making a dental “cap”, because it does not oxidize from contact with moisture and is hypoallergenic. At the same time, gold is a fairly durable material that can withstand heavy loads when chewing hard food.

Why is gold used in dentistry? Dental crowns - what are they?

Gold has been used by dentists for centuries. Previously, teeth made of precious metal were an indicator of luxury, available only to those in elite circles. Today, such material is used due to its inertness and strength, even despite its high cost. Dental gold is especially relevant in cases where it is impossible to use another material for prosthetics for medical reasons.

Most often, precious metal is used to make crowns, which are a kind of cap for damaged teeth. Dentists use a special alloy to restore single chewing teeth that are subjected to heavy loads or to restore an entire row of teeth.

The use of gold for prosthetics is due to the safety of the metal for the human body. The material is not capable of causing allergic reactions, oxidizing or reacting with food.

Gold dental crowns

Prosthetics Products

Gold in dentistry can be used to make:

• half-crown;
• gold-platinum stump inlays;
• equatorial crowns;
• metal-ceramic gold crowns;
• metal-ceramic gold crowns for implants;
• metal-ceramic crowns on galvanic gold.

Twinkles

This is a more advanced and expensive version of skyes, made primarily of precious metals (usually white and yellow gold) and inlaid with precious stones (sapphires, rubies, emeralds, diamonds).

Twinkles are made of precious metals and stones

Twinkles or twinkles2 (in some literature) are fixed to the teeth in a different way than skyes. First, a small hole is drilled in hard tissues, where the decoration is placed. If it becomes necessary to remove the stone later, the artificially created cavity in the tooth will have to be masked with a composite.

High standard dental gold

The question has always arisen, what grade of dental gold is used by dentists. The answer is quite simple; in dentistry, an alloy from 916 to 585 can be used, depending on the type of parts:

• 916 - inlays, facets, bridges, crowns, half-crowns;
• 750 — pins, springs, inlays, half-crowns;
• 585 – clasps (hooks for fixing removable dentures).

Table: average cost of dental crowns

It is important to remember that the cost of prosthetics is influenced by the price of a gram of precious metal and the materials used, the method of manufacturing the structures, the status of the clinic and the specialists who make dentures. Because of this, prices in different dentists and regions can vary significantly.

Why a gold crown is a good investment

Some houses still have old gold teeth. If you consider what grade of gold dental crowns are made from, they can be profitably sold to companies that are interested in buying such items. Today there are such companies in Moscow, Volgograd, Kostroma, Ufa and other regions of the country. That is why dental gold is often a highly liquid metal that can easily be converted into money.

Gold crowns on teeth

Why you shouldn't pawn crowns at a pawnshop

To make dental gold, 900 or 916 samples are used, but you should take it to a pawnshop only in case of a hopeless situation. Such material is considered a semi-finished product and, as a rule, its price is low.

It is important to remember that installing one such tooth is expensive for clients, the cost starts from 11 thousand rubles. However, a pawnshop will value such a product at only a few thousand. This means that the owner of the teeth will lose significantly during such a sale.

It is also important that individual specialists can replace part of the precious metal with other less expensive metals and do gold plating.

Don't let yourself be deceived by a scammer

The most pressing topic, which all experts mostly refuse to talk about, is fraud on the part of jewelers. Of course, the lion's share of goldsmiths work honestly. But only a few of them speak publicly on this issue and give clients advice on how to protect themselves from dishonest colleagues or outright scammers.

When contacting unverified authors, people may encounter these types of scams.

1. Substitution of precious stones.
2. Dilution of gold composition.
3. Conscious increase in the consumption of precious metals in the manufacture of jewelry.

Few people turn to private jewelers to melt down their gold, and therefore word of mouth does not work well in these cases. Not each of us has such acquaintances whose opinion we could safely rely on. Therefore, you will have to contact jewelers at your own peril and risk, testing their honesty experimentally.

To insure yourself against fraud, you need to be extremely careful and require various additional checks. For example, if you brought a gold item to a jeweler inlaid with stones that you want to see in a new piece of jewelry, ask that you record all their characteristics. Carefully inspect the stone yourself and note that there are no chips or scratches on it. If the pebbles are small and there are a lot of them, carefully count the number. When receiving a new gold item, double-check everything carefully.

Indications for the installation of gold crowns

• it is necessary to accurately restore the shape of the teeth;
• the need to restore chewing teeth that are subject to heavy loads;
• the patient has a strong bite or has a habit of grinding his teeth or clenching his jaw tightly;
• the need to strengthen dental tissues;
• the need to improve the appearance of the dentition.

The benefits of crowns in the mouth

Using a gold crown is beneficial for the following reasons:

• the metal does not allow chewing teeth subject to constant stress to deteriorate;
• gold helps restore already destroyed tissues;
• often allows you to replace a natural tooth;
• helps hide imperfections in natural teeth that have irreversibly changed color.

Chieffa 08 Sep 2008

With enviable regularity, doctors hear the same question from patients: “Why, after installing crowns/inlays, does my head steadily pull down?” Or: “Which crowns are heavier: zirconium, metal-ceramic, cast, stamped? Because my teeth/gums are weak....”

The first five times doctors find it funny, then it’s no longer funny, and then they begin to think, “What if it’s really...?”

So, so that patients do not worry in vain, it will be useful for them to know: The average weight of one crown is 1.5 – 3 grams. The weight of the intra-root tab is 1.2 grams.

When chewing, the tooth experiences a load of 30 to 90 kg. So it doesn’t matter to the tooth whether a crown weighing 2 grams or 4 grams is on it!

For those who still feel that the weight acquired after prosthetics is pulling their head down, we can recommend having a haircut like this to move the center of gravity of the skull to its original place (longer at the back, shorter at the front).

Contraindications for installing crowns

• the patient is under 16 years of age;
• increased dental mobility was diagnosed;
• the presence of chronic periodontitis;
• the patient has mental illnesses;
• pregnancy.

Dentist with dentures

Hygiene measures

No special conditions are required to maintain operation. Cleaning is carried out with a toothbrush with soft bristles, sweeping movements in the direction from the gums to the free edge. Plaque on the surface of the alloy practically does not accumulate due to the smoothness of the coating.

You should use floss or dental floss to remove food debris from the interdental spaces. For convenience, you can purchase an irrigator - a device that cleans with a thin stream of water.

Advantages and disadvantages of gold teeth

Gold prostheses have the following advantages:

gold is not capable of harming teeth and, on the contrary, has a positive effect on the oral cavity and the entire body;

the inertness of the metal does not allow it to react with saliva or food;

when closing the jaw, the golden tooth is not capable of destroying tissue in opposite rows;

the precious metal is not capable of causing the development of allergies;

gold alloy is a strong, durable material.

The use of gold crowns also has its disadvantages:

the use of almost pure gold implies its natural softness. Although the alloy contains a ligature that enhances its strength, such teeth will gradually begin to wear out, although decades may pass;

the high cost of the source material is not accessible to everyone;

gold dentures look good on the sides; to restore the front teeth, it is better to choose a different material.

Comparative analysis

Let's collect all the critical characteristics of alloys in one table. It will indicate the shortcomings on a 5-point scale (1 point – a mild problem, 5 points – the maximum possible). For comparison, in the last column we will place the same indicators of all-ceramic crowns.

New trend for a golden smile

The fashion for gold teeth has been around for a long time. They are actively used in modern prosthetics. At the same time, flashing a golden smile with different inserts is now at the peak of popularity. For this purpose, grills are used - precious jewelry that can be worn on one or more front teeth.

Fashionable jewelry for teeth - gold grills
This accessory is not tightly fixed and can be easily removed if necessary. They can have absolutely any shape, be inlaid with stones, and made from various materials. You can buy jewelry in Russia via the Internet with delivery to Podolsk, St. Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk, Togliatti, Chelyabinsk, Samara and other cities of the country. You can also find a specialist who can make custom-made grills.

Appearance

All alloys, except gold-containing ones, are gray metallic in color. The veneering ceramic applied to such a frame should, in theory, completely cover this grayness, and the crown should look like a natural tooth. However, such an excellent aesthetic result can only be created by outstanding dental technicians, and even then, the doctor needs to grind the tooth quite hard. Gold allows you to achieve the same result with a smaller crown thickness, plus more dental technicians can handle this task.

However, it should be noted that some alloys, even with a high gold content, are not yellow, but closer to gray. For example, the domestic alloy “Plagodent” (85% Au):

Therefore, if aesthetic appearance is important to the patient, you should inquire about this nuance in advance.

Category: question-answer

Why did the crown sag after a few years?

Expert opinion

Pribrezhny Gennady Valentinovich

Jeweler 6th category

The human body is characterized by age-related changes, which include a decrease in the volume of gum tissue. In this case, the upper row of teeth rises, and the lower row falls accordingly. Dentists call this process recession. This means that if there are crowns, a gap may appear between the gum and the “cap”, caused by tissue movement. In case of discomfort, you should consult your doctor.

Gold dental crowns

Why does the crown cause a sour taste in the mouth?

Expert opinion

Kibantseva Elena Anatolyevna

Allergist-immunologist, “Movement” clinic, Saratov

A sour taste in the mouth may be a sign of galvanism in the mouth. That is, if there are crowns made of different metals, electrical impulses may appear between them. As a result of such chemical reactions, the patient begins to feel a sour metallic taste. If you ignore such symptoms in the future, you may encounter serious problems not only in the oral cavity, but also in the entire body.

Which crowns have better properties: gold or expensive metal-ceramics?

Expert opinion

Pribrezhny Gennady Valentinovich

Jeweler 6th category

Each type of crown has its own composition and properties. They have their pros and cons, and also differ in cost. The use of precious crowns is due to the following characteristics:

• durability, lasts at least 15 years;
• comfortable to wear;
• minimal impact on natural teeth;
• corrosion protection;
• increased strength.

However, their main disadvantage is the unnatural color of the coating.
That is why such structures are not used for prosthetics of anterior teeth. The advantages of metal ceramics are:

• durability, lasts at least 8 years;
• natural appearance;
• partly consists of precious metal.

At the same time, cracks and chips sometimes appear on such prostheses, which appear due to poor quality materials or improper installation. They are less durable, but can also withstand chewing loads.

Tattoos

In recent years, dental tattoos have become widespread, which can be applied both to natural enamel and to the surface of artificial crowns. They are popular with both young men and girls. True, the first and second choose different types of drawings. Thus, the strong half of humanity prefers to decorate their teeth with various significant dates, text phrases, and symbols of their favorite sports team. But the weaker sex prefers flowers, hearts, and various patterns.

This is what a tattoo on enamel looks like

Tattoos that are applied directly to the enamel (in the form of a sticker or with hypoallergenic inks) do not last long - 1-2 years. They are preferred to be made for different dates and events, for example, a wedding, a photo shoot. And the service life of tattoos decorating artificial crowns directly depends on how long the orthopedic structures themselves will remain in your mouth.

Many patients, with the help of dental tattoos, not only emphasize their individuality, but also hide minor or serious (when installing crowns) smile defects: chips, cracks, destruction, unsightly shade of enamel and stains, fillings.

Before purchasing such jewelry, think carefully. From the side or from a long distance, it may look like caries or an unaesthetic spot on the enamel. And in order for it to retain its colors longer and not wear off prematurely, you will have to stop eating too hard food.

Doc 14 Apr 2009

I had a MK bridge on my 4 upper incisors (6 years on temporary cement), they changed it to zirconium. It may be funny to doctors, but from personal feelings it seems that MK crowns are heavier. Not in the sense that it tilts the head forward. I don’t know how to explain correctly. Maybe it’s all a problem in the brain, or the bridge is better quality, but it’s really become easier

I think that if it stood for six years on temporary cement, then everything else in it was consistent with this fact. In addition, cast bridges have shrinkage, and as a result, if they are poorly seated, they can press and cause discomfort. Zirconium is milled and therefore does not give any shrinkage initially. And lastly, a good doctor will not make zirconium crowns into a six-unit bridge. Perhaps you now have them separately? In general, it's not about weight.