A dental crown functions as a cap placed over a damaged or weakened tooth, restoring its structure, size, strength, and appearance. The gold crown is one of the oldest and most consistently reliable options in dentistry. It involves fitting a meticulously crafted metal shell over the prepared tooth, protecting it from further fracture or decay. Although modern dentistry offers tooth-colored alternatives, gold crowns remain a preferred choice for situations demanding maximum durability and minimal wear.
Composition and Distinctive Properties of Gold Crowns
The term “gold crown” is misleading, as these restorations are not made from pure, soft gold. They are fabricated from high-gold alloys, combining gold with other noble metals like palladium, platinum, or silver, and base metals such as copper. This specific blend is controlled to achieve superior mechanical properties that pure gold lacks. For instance, a high noble alloy must contain at least 60% noble metals, with a minimum of 40% gold content.
The addition of these metals enhances the alloy’s strength and hardness while preserving gold’s resistance to corrosion and tarnish within the oral environment. This gives gold crowns exceptional longevity and durability, allowing them to withstand heavy chewing forces exerted in the back of the mouth. The alloy’s relative softness closely matches natural tooth enamel, meaning a gold crown causes minimal wear on the opposing tooth it bites against, a significant advantage over many harder ceramic materials. Gold alloys are also highly biocompatible, rarely causing irritation to the surrounding gum tissue.
The malleability of the gold alloy is another property that dentists value. It allows the crown margin—the edge that meets the tooth structure—to be precisely adapted to the tooth. This ability to create an accurate, thin margin is important for preventing leakage and subsequent decay under the crown. Compared to other materials, preparing a tooth for a gold crown often requires the removal of less natural tooth structure, which helps to conserve the remaining healthy tooth material.
The Process of Receiving a Gold Crown
Receiving a gold crown typically requires two separate appointments spaced about two weeks apart, allowing time for the dental laboratory to fabricate the custom restoration. The first visit focuses on preparing the tooth and taking a precise impression. After the area is numbed, the dentist reshapes the damaged tooth, removing decay and creating a specific form that will securely hold the final cap. This preparation ensures the crown fits snugly without interfering with the patient’s bite.
Once the tooth is prepared, the dentist takes an impression, which can involve biting down on a putty-like material or using a modern digital scanner to capture a three-dimensional image. This accurate model is sent to a specialized dental laboratory, where technicians cast the gold alloy into the final crown. Before the patient leaves the first appointment, the dentist places a temporary crown to protect the sensitive tooth structure and maintain the proper position of the adjacent teeth.
During the second appointment, the temporary crown is removed, and the permanent gold crown is thoroughly checked for fit, margin integrity, and bite alignment. The dentist confirms that the crown seats perfectly on the prepared tooth and that the patient’s bite feels comfortable and balanced. Once all checks are complete, the gold crown is permanently bonded to the tooth using durable dental cement, completing the restoration.
Comparing Gold Crowns to Other Materials
When deciding on a crown, patients often weigh the benefits of gold against those of tooth-colored options like ceramic, zirconia, or porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM). The primary trade-off is between the superior strength of gold and the natural aesthetics of ceramic materials. Gold crowns are renowned for their unmatched durability and resistance to fracture, making them the material of choice for molars and teeth subjected to heavy forces, especially in patients who grind their teeth. Studies show that gold crowns have an excellent long-term survival rate, often lasting decades with proper care.
In contrast, while modern ceramic and zirconia crowns are quite strong, they still carry a higher risk of chipping or cracking under extreme pressure compared to a full-metal gold restoration. The main advantage of ceramic and zirconia is their ability to mimic the color and translucency of natural teeth, making them the preferred option for front teeth or premolars that are highly visible when smiling. Gold’s metallic appearance limits its use almost exclusively to the back molars, where aesthetics are secondary to function and longevity.
Selecting a gold crown also involves a less aggressive preparation of the underlying tooth structure than is required for many ceramic materials. Furthermore, gold is gentler on opposing teeth, wearing at a rate similar to enamel, unlike some harder ceramic materials which can accelerate wear on natural teeth. Ultimately, the choice between gold and other materials depends on the tooth’s location, the patient’s aesthetic priorities, and the level of biting force the restoration must endure.