Why A Gold Crown May Be The Best Option For Your Decayed Tooth
Posted on: 5 March 2017
Share
If you need a crown on one of your teeth, the first thing to decide is the type of crown you'll get. Your dentist will advise you on the best choice between gold, porcelain, resin, and porcelain fused to metal. Out of all these choices, gold just might be the best if you can get used to the appearance. Here's why gold is a good choice for a dental crown.
Gold Is Strong And Durable
The biggest advantage of a gold crown is its strength. There is little risk of the crown cracking or chipping. Because of that, the crown should last for decades unless the tooth underneath it goes bad eventually. If you're still fairly young, there is a good chance you'll have to replace a different type of dental crown at some point in your life since porcelain is easier to crack. Crowns made from other materials do not have a long lifespan when compared to gold. The gold crown could possibly last the rest of your life.
Gold Is Gentle On Your Gums And Teeth
Another good thing about gold is that it doesn't wear down your nearby teeth or irritate your gums like some other materials can. Porcelain crowns in particular can cause damage to the other teeth they grind against when you chew. That's one reason porcelain crowns are more common in front teeth than they are in back teeth where all the grinding and chewing goes on. Gold is also a hypoallergenic material, so there is a very low risk you'll have an allergic reaction to it. Although gold crowns are not made from pure gold, they are made from a metal alloy that is not as allergenic as some other crown materials that have nickel or other metal that many people are allergic to.
A Gold Crown Gives You Character
Beauty is a very individual thing. You may love the idea of a gold crown on a front tooth while someone else wouldn't even dream of putting gold on a back tooth that's rarely seen. Ultimately, the choice of whether or not to get a gold crown comes down to its appearance. It is probably the best choice for a crown in a back tooth since those teeth are usually out of sight unless you yawn or open your mouth wide. However, when it comes to getting a crown on a front tooth, you will love or hate the idea of getting gold. The good news is other materials are suitable for front-tooth crowns since the front teeth don't grind or chew. Therefore, you could choose a more natural material like porcelain for a front tooth and save the sturdier gold option for the back.
Talk with a local dentist like Carpenter Dental to explore your options in more detail.