“Is a gold crown better than zirconia?”
I am a 39 year old male. I want to know if a gold crown is better than zirconia?
6 Answers
There are lots of factors to consider to determine which is the correct material for your crown. Position of the tooth in the mouth, your bite forces, esthetics to name just a few. Gold crowns have stood the test of time. Talk with your provider and ask them.
The saying "gold standard" still holds true today. Gold is much more expensive for your dentist to fabricate and is not as aesthetic as zirconia but is antibacterial in nature and kind to the surrounding tissues. Zirconia is a very nice alternative when in a visible area and is quite strong.
Gold is the standard by which all crowns are measured against. If esthetics is not a concern a gold crown will last much longer than a zirconia crown under the same oral environment. However, with the price of gold these days, the cost may make it prohibitive.
It depends on what your definition of better is? Gold is one of the best materials in the mouth. It wears only slightly faster than enamel. It fits well and is extremely durable. Its drawback is esthetics!. Zirconia is much harder than enamel. Over the years, you will see unequal and significantly more wear on the opposing tooth. I had a partial gold crown placed on a premolar tooth when I was 27. It was there and fine until I had it removed, 25 years later, as I did not like showing the gold in my mouth. So, it depends on what is important to you.
An all-gold crown is most likely the best restoration that you can have so long as it is not an esthetic consideration for you.
If you are not concerned with esthetics and it is a posterior crown, gold crowns are a great option.
