The part of the tooth above the gum line is called the crown. Many dentists have used gold as an alloy for ages. Essentially gold was used for its malleability, ductility and hardness, which provides a good solid bite and the fact that it is almost immune to corrosion made it the material of choice. Gold alloys are used for fillings, crowns, bridges and orthodontic appliances. Gold is used in dentistry because it is chemically non-reactive, does not cause allergies and is easy for the dentist to work with. We at The Dental Hub strive to give our patients the utmost satisfaction in having gold teeth.
None of the metals used in dentistry, including gold, are used in their pure form. They are always used as alloys. This is because dental alloys are superior in terms of their physical properties than pure metals. There are three main types of alloys used in dentistry:
- High noble alloys: 60% noble metal out of which 40% must be gold
- Noble alloys: These alloys have about 25% precious metal content
- Non-noble alloys: Here the precious metal content is less than 25% and the rest can be other metals like nickel, cobalt etc.
In the present day, many people wear gold teeth for cosmetic purposes and also as a status symbol. Gold teeth caps or grills as they are called are temporary teeth caps that have been worn by modern day celebrities sparking quite a demand for these materials. These cover the entire top or bottom surface of teeth and can be taken off at will for example, off for the workplace and on during personal time.
Gold teeth can be worn as implants and work much like normal implants, but they are largely used for show and status reasons. Missing teeth can be replaced by dental implants that are "rooted" in the bone. They work and look just like real teeth. They are preferred over dentures by many adults. Such implants generally have two separate components- the main implant portion that is screwed onto the jawbone is made of titanium and the crown portion above the gum line can be made of gold.