Hello there from dental land. I know the header says this is about cosmetic dentistry, but I would like to talk a bit about an alternative to cosmetics, the Gold Crown. For back teeth (molars), it is still the best choice in crowns. There are many situations for which a gold crown is highly preferable to the porcelain crown.

First of all is strength. If you have a tooth that is vertically challenged (short), gold requires much less tooth to be removed than does porcelain. Gold is also much more strong and durable. After all, porcelain is just basically sintered glass particles with some color added.

Second, if you are a bruxer (and we know who you are), gold doesn’t fracture as porcelain often does. Gold also will not wear the opposing tooth down the way porcelain can. Gold does not require the amount of circumferential tooth removal that is required for a porcelain crown. So if your jaw muscles are well developed from genetics, eating, clinching or just talking (ha-ha), consider gold for your molars. They will thank you.

Lastly, if cosmetics are a concern, these teeth are not seen in 95% of people’s smiles. So unless your friends are looking in your mouth with a spelunker’s light, appearance is not a concern.

Dr. Greg Witte