Cosmetic dentistry

[john10001]

If there are any dentists on here can you tell me why a dentist would not recommend a gold tooth implant?

I was on a dental website the other week for a practice, and using their chat to ask how much a gold tooth would cost and they just gave me that blunt response.

Surely gold is a lot better than mercury fillings and implants made from other metals e.g. zinc and titanium?

[redsturgeon]

Did you not ask him why?

I have had a gold crown that was put in place about 40 years ago...it is still as perfect as the day it was put in and several more recent dentists have commented on what a good job was done. Gold is pretty inert and IMHO as good choice of material...however with the developments in composite materials it may be that they now do a better job than gold at a cheaper price. Also your dentist may have a lot of experience with composites and not much with gold or his usual dental lab do not work with gold.

John

[csearle]

The only thing my various dentists seemed to consider was whether the affected tooth could be seen when smiling. If no then gold, if yes then ceramic. Any further considerations were kept from me.

Chris

[swill453]

The OP asked about an implant, which is the bit that screws into the jaw to support a crown etc. I doubt if gold would be suitable for that, too soft and frictionless.

(They also mentioned a gold tooth, so I'm not really sure what the specific question was.)

Scott.

[Lootman]

The only thing my various dentists seemed to consider was whether the affected tooth could be seen when smiling. If no then gold, if yes then ceramic. Any further considerations were kept from me.

Correct, gold is usually used for molars but not for front teeth, although in some cultures having gold front teeth is seen as desirable.

I have 5 gold molars and they have been very successful. but just for the crown of the tooth, i,e, the visible and cutting surfaces. I like the look but not everyone does. Porcelain is the alternative, and can be colour-matched to your other teeth. I didn't think that mercury is used any more.

My dentist has just taken delivery of a 3-D crown-making machine. This means he can make your crown on his premises and while you wait, from the mould he has just taken. I'm not sure that's available for gold, only ceramics, as he'd have to have stocks of gold lying around. But it does raise the possibility of having a crown fitted in one session rather than two sessions with a "temporary".

[bungeejumper]

My dentist has just taken delivery of a 3-D crown-making machine. This means he can make your crown on his premises and while you wait, from the mould he has just taken. I'm not sure that's available for gold, only ceramics, as he'd have to have stocks of gold lying around. But it does raise the possibility of having a crown fitted in one session rather than two sessions with a "temporary".

LOL, it must be 35 years since I had a while-you-wait crown made up in that way. Mind you, the machine wasn't a 3D printer (the modern way, I expect?) but rather it did the job the other way round - by blasting a solid block of ceramic with abrasives until it was the right shape.

Was it quick? Well, sort of. You had to go back to the waiting room for an hour and leave the machine to get on with the sculpting job, which effectively meant that the whole process took up most of my morning. Was it affordable? Nope. Did it last? No, the bugger fell out after six weeks, and again after six years, at which point both the dentist and I decided that I could get along perfectly well without it. (It was sitting on a flat bed of cement, mounted on a metal post, so all he had to do was cut the remaining post down to flush, and 29 years later still no problems.)

BJ

[shadowside]

I have several dental implants. The procedure for the implant is separate from that which attaches a tooth to the implant. In my case an implant specialist has put in the implant and my own dentist has then fitted tooth. Implants are made of titanium because for some reason it fuses very well with bone so it becomes an integral part of tooth. The implant has an internal screw thread into which tooth ( or teeth) are screwed. If you wanted the attached tooth to be gold assume that would be perfectly possible but implant itself would still be titanium.

Implants are expensive but as far as I am concerned a much better solution than dentures!

[katkaland]

"

I have several dental implants. The procedure for the implant is separate from that which attaches a tooth to the implant. In my case an implant specialist has put in the implant and my own dentist has then fitted tooth. Implants are made of titanium because for some reason it fuses very well with bone so it becomes an integral part of tooth. The implant has an internal screw thread into which tooth ( or teeth) are screwed. If you wanted the attached tooth to be gold assume that would be perfectly possible but implant itself would still be titanium.

Implants are expensive but as far as I am concerned a much better solution than dentures!

"

Absolutely right. The implants is placed into the jawbone, under the gum, where it will remain for hopefully a very long time. After the implant healing the gum is opened to reveal the implant and a so-called healing screw or healing cup placed on the top of it, for a few days to help adjust the prepare the gum to accept the crown snuggly. After the healing cup is removed, an abutment is screwed into the implant. The abutment connects the implant with the crown and it sticks out above the gum line.

And to encounter all the above posts;

It takes months for a placed implant to bond with the bone. Other than titanium implant, you can also opt of zircon, but this is still extremely rare, very expensive and frankly in the "testing" stages. I say testing, as the whole science and medical profession, is called "practice" because, until a method, process or material is proven for nearly a decade, we are all somewhat guinea pigs. However, zirconium is already a ceramic type product. Ther is no gold implant. However, on top of a titanium implant, one can place a titanium or zirconium abutment. And the crown is bonded together with the abutment to form the tooth. Titanium is the most accepted metal by our body, even hip and spite replacements are made of titanium. The abutment has to be from the same material as the inside of the crown to be able to bond them well.

For example, if you chose a titanium abutment, you will get a porcelain bonded to titanium crown, where there is no metal showing from the outside but is titanium on the inside. If you choose to have a zirconium crown, you will have to have a zirconium abutment, that will be screwed into your titanium implant.

What concerns me about gold is, the question of a so-called "galvanic action" When you have various types if different metals in your mouth, there is always a possibility that these metals will get into reaction with one another, called the galvanic action. Should this arise, the possible risks include getting gum disease an earlier age.

If it was my mouth, I would aim to have the same types of metals all over in my mouth to avoid possible galvanic action.
Personally, I would be happy with if available to have a zirconium( porcelain based) implant, with a zirconium abutment and zirconium crown.

Or I would be happy to have a titanium implant with a zirconium abutment and zirconium crown.

Or I would be happy to have a titanium implant with a titanium abutment and a porcelain bonded to titanium crown.

If you have amalgam fillings. I would most probably have them changed to a porcelain type white filling first, and then a few weeks later, to avoid any possible decontamination I would have the implant treatment done. Replacing amalgam fillings are most dangerous for the dentist and not the patient.

How long they last will depend on the following:

1. How you look after them. This is the most important part. regular dental hygiene treatment, flossing and brushing the right way.
2. Is the crown material right for your type of bite? For example, some people can't have porcelain only crowns. They have to have the porcelain bonded to metal for durability.
3. Has the dentist made the bonding airtight? In most cases they do, but it falls out within just a few weeks after treatment they probably didn't. But please go easy on them, most of them just want the best for you too.
4. Medications you may take, diseases and illnesses you may encounter, genetical makeup, stress, and lifestyle and trauma.
5. The combination of 1,2 and 4 are likely to produce a result of longevity.

My Ultimate Advice:

Use titanium and/or zirconium for all the 3 parts of the implanted tooth (implant + abutment + crown) if you can afford it, and if you can't just go for titanium implant, titanium abutment and a porcelain bonded to metal crown.