Getting a gold tooth typically means having a dentist fit you with a gold crown, though you can also go the cosmetic route with removable or permanent grillz. The process, cost, and commitment level vary significantly depending on which option you choose. Here’s what each path looks like and what to expect.
Gold Crowns vs. Gold Grillz
There are two distinct categories of gold teeth, and they serve different purposes. A gold dental crown is a medical restoration. Your dentist places it over a damaged, decayed, or weakened tooth to protect it and restore function. It’s made from a gold alloy, custom-fitted to your bite, and cemented permanently in place. Gold crowns are one of the most durable options in dentistry and can last for decades.
Gold grillz, on the other hand, are purely cosmetic. They come in two forms: removable caps that snap over your teeth (similar to a retainer) and permanent pieces that a dentist bonds directly to your enamel. Removable grillz are the most affordable and least invasive option. You pop them in when you want the look and take them out to eat, sleep, and clean your teeth. Permanent grillz are custom-crafted by an artisan, then a dentist uses medical-grade cement to bond them in place, similar to a crown.
How a Gold Crown Is Placed
If you’re getting a gold crown through a dentist, the process usually takes two appointments. At the first visit, your dentist removes a thin layer of your natural enamel to make space for the crown so it sits flush with your surrounding teeth. They then take an impression of the prepared tooth, either with a putty mold or a digital scan, and send it to a dental lab where technicians fabricate the crown from a gold alloy. You’ll wear a temporary crown while you wait.
At the second appointment, typically one to three weeks later, the dentist removes the temporary, checks the fit and color of your gold crown, and cements it permanently. Some offices with CAD/CAM milling technology can design and fabricate ceramic crowns in a single visit, but gold crowns are almost always lab-made, so expect the two-visit process.
For permanent grillz, the process is similar. A dentist or specialist files down a small amount of enamel, takes an impression, and sends it to a craftsman who builds the gold piece. Once it’s ready, it gets bonded to the tooth. The key difference is that a crown wraps around and protects a compromised tooth, while a permanent grill covers a healthy one for appearance.
What Recovery Feels Like
Recovery from a gold crown fitting is mild. Most people feel back to normal within a few days, though it can take up to two weeks for your mouth to fully adjust. Sensitivity to hot and cold foods is common during this period, especially if the tooth underneath still has a live nerve. Stick to soft foods for the first day or two and avoid anything hard, chewy, or sticky that could dislodge the crown before the cement fully sets.
Why Dentists Recommend Gold
Gold isn’t just about aesthetics. Dentists have used gold alloys for crowns for over a century because the material has real clinical advantages. Gold crowns are extremely durable and withstand the forces of chewing better than porcelain, ceramic, or resin alternatives. Porcelain crowns can chip or break. All-resin crowns wear down relatively quickly. Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns tend to wear down the teeth they bite against. Gold, by contrast, is gentle on opposing teeth and holds up for years with minimal issues.
Gold alloys are also highly biocompatible. In allergy testing across common dental metals, gold produced the least allergic response of all materials tested, far below nickel (the most reactive), chromium, cobalt, and silver. If you have a history of metal sensitivity, gold is one of the safest choices. That said, gold dental alloys aren’t pure gold. They contain a mix of metals like palladium, platinum, copper, or silver, so if you have known metal allergies, a patch test before placement is a good idea.
How to Care for a Gold Tooth
A gold crown or permanent grill doesn’t need special products or complicated routines. Brush at least twice a day for two minutes, using a regular fluoride toothpaste (skip whitening formulas, which can be abrasive). Floss daily, paying attention to the gumline around the crown where plaque tends to build up. If you eat sticky or sugary foods, brush afterward when you can. Keep up with regular dental checkups so your dentist can monitor the crown’s margins and the health of the gum tissue around it.
Permanent grillz require the same diligence, but they present an extra challenge: you can’t remove them to clean the tooth underneath. Food particles can get trapped between the gold and your natural tooth, raising the risk of cavities and bad breath. Meticulous brushing and flossing matter even more in this case.
Removable grillz are the easiest to maintain. Take them out before eating and sleeping, clean both the grillz and your teeth separately, and store them in a case when not in use.
Cost Differences
Gold crowns placed by a dentist generally run between $800 and $2,500 per tooth, depending on the amount of gold in the alloy, your location, and whether dental insurance covers part of the cost. Insurance often covers crowns when they’re medically necessary (for a cracked or decayed tooth) but won’t cover a crown placed purely for cosmetic reasons.
Permanent gold grillz vary widely in price based on the karat of gold, the number of teeth covered, and the jeweler or artisan making them. A single permanent gold tooth cap typically starts around $500 and can climb well into the thousands for higher-karat gold or diamond-set pieces. Removable grillz are the most budget-friendly option, with custom-fitted sets starting around $100 to $300 per tooth, though cheap, non-custom versions sold online can fit poorly and irritate your gums.
Choosing the Right Option
If you already need a crown for a damaged tooth, choosing gold over porcelain or ceramic gives you the longest-lasting, most tooth-friendly restoration available. If your teeth are healthy and you want the gold look, removable grillz let you try the style without any permanent changes to your teeth. Permanent grillz split the difference: they stay in place like a crown but require filing down healthy enamel, which is irreversible. Once that enamel is gone, the tooth will always need some type of covering.
Whatever route you choose, get the work done by a licensed dentist or a reputable custom jeweler who takes proper impressions. Poorly fitted gold pieces, whether crowns or grillz, can trap bacteria, cause jaw pain, and damage your teeth over time.