Best material for crowns for adults?

[nicolelynn]

I know we had a thread on crowns for kids...but what is the safest material to use for adult crowns...then what is the strongest? If there anything dangerous besides nickel...do any contain mercury? I'm getting a crown on a back molar in 2 weeks and I don't care what it looks like...just that it dosn't contain amalgam. I will pay cash for the best material if I have to if my insurance dosn't cover it...even if it is gold.

[stacyann21]

Gold is the best. It's not the most aesthetically pleasing, unless you're a hip hop star but it's absolutely hands down the strongest.

[lisalulu]

Originally Posted by stacyann21

Gold is the best. It's not the most aesthetically pleasing, unless you're a hip hop star but it's absolutely hands down the strongest.

:

I've had 3 crowns done in the last couple months : and one of them is for a molar that you can't see (the farthest back). Generally my denist only does gold on those unless there is a strong objection because you need that strength for those teeth. My other two crowns are porcelain.

[nicolelynn]

Yeah I would be all for gold since it's a back molar...but I don't know which my insurance covers. Time to research that and maybe just pay cash for gold.

Thanks!

[nicolelynn]

Ahhhhhh my teeth are such a headache.

I feel like I know how to take care of the rest of my body nutritionally (haven't been to a Dr in 12 years) but teeth care and restoration is so difficult to grasp.

So I've been researching crowns for a few hours tonight and though high quality (high noble content) gold crowns sound excellent it sounds like almost all gold crowns are made of gold alloy which has been "diluted" with silver (=mercury) and nickel. 24 karat/pure gold is too soft to use....hardly anyone does this.

So what say ye? Is the silver content so minute that it cancels out mercury concerns? Or do you search hi and lo for the handful of dentists in the world who use 24 karat gold still?

Either way...I looked up my dental insurance (Smile Saver HMO) and for molar crowns all they cover is up to 25% noble metal crowns...the other 75% likely being stainless steel? Stainless steel isn't bad, is it?

Please help...dental health is making so little sense to me right now.

Thanks, Nicole

[SleeplessMommy]

Here are some links...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_fillings
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_(dentistry)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_metal

A gold crown may contain silver, but will not (should not) have any mercury content.

[nicolelynn]

Oh ok, I though silver automatically equalled amalgam. Thanks!

[nicolelynn]

I'm so happy....my dentist DOES do gold crowns. I just have to pay $185 more for the gold portion...the insurance does cover most of it still!