Restorative Dentistry
Gold Crowns in Los Angeles
Out of fashion, not out of merit.
Almost nobody asks for gold any more, and in a few situations it is still the best material for the job. Smile LA Downtown Modern Dentistry will tell you when yours is one of them.
The case for gold
What gold does that ceramic does not
Gold went out of fashion, and fashion is not the same thing as merit. Almost nobody asks for it now, and there are still a handful of situations where it is the technically better answer — enough that it belongs in the conversation rather than being quietly dropped from it. The arguments for it are all about behavior rather than appearance: how it wears against the tooth it bites, how much of your own tooth has to come away to fit it, and the way it fails when it eventually does. None of those count for much on a tooth near the front of your mouth. On a lower molar in a heavy bite, all four of them do.
- It is kind to the opposing tooth Gold wears at a rate close to natural enamel. Ceramic is harder than enamel, so over years it can wear the tooth it bites against. On a heavy bite that difference is real.
- Less tooth has to be removed Gold can be made thinner and still hold, so preparation is more conservative than for a ceramic crown of the same tooth.
- It does not chip Gold deforms rather than fracturing, which is the opposite failure mode to ceramic.
- The margins seal well Which is what keeps decay from starting again underneath.
The drawback
The obvious drawback
It is gold-colored. On a molar at the back of the lower arch that is usually invisible in normal conversation; anywhere further forward it is a decision, not a detail. For anything that shows, all ceramic or zirconia is the answer.
How to decide
It comes down to which tooth, how hard you bite, how much tooth is left to work with, and how much you care what it looks like. That is a conversation with the tooth in front of us rather than a rule. See dental crowns for the process and crowns and bridges for the wider choice.
Gold Crowns FAQ
- Why would anyone still choose gold?
- It wears at a rate close to natural enamel, so it is gentle on the tooth it bites against; it needs less tooth removed than a ceramic crown; and it deforms rather than chipping.
- Will it be visible?
- On a back molar, usually not in normal conversation. Anywhere further forward, yes — and then ceramic or zirconia is the better choice.
- Is gold stronger than zirconia?
- They fail differently rather than one simply beating the other. Zirconia is exceptionally hard; gold deforms instead of fracturing and is gentler on the opposing tooth.
- Is less of my tooth removed?
- Yes — gold holds at a thinner section, so the preparation is more conservative.
