When a patient suffers severe damage to a tooth, drastic tooth restoration will be required to save that tooth.  One option for treatment is the placement of a gold crown.   A gold crown is precision-crafted in a dental laboratory, and the patient will need to make two or more trips to a Houston Cosmetic Dentist to first make a mold that the lab can use to make a crown, and second to mount the gold crown when it is ready.

Gold has always been highly sought after because it its beauty and unique scientific uses.   for both its beauty and its unique practical uses.  It offers remarkable advantages in dentistry.

Like all crowns, gold protects teeth by covering it.  However, it also contributes other unique benefits:

         It wears very little opposing teeth during chewing.

         Although reputed to be soft, gold is remarkably strong and can handle bite pressure.

         Gold is a long-lasting metal.

Careful preliminary steps must be taken in order to successfully coordinate action with the lab and ensure a successful outcome.  The first thing that must be done is an evaluation of the tooth itself.  Exactly how much damage has it suffered?  Is this from a fracture or from tooth decay?  These questions have to answered first before the next step can be taken.

The tooth must be reshaped either way.  If there is decay it must be removed, and if there has been a fracture the tooth must have its remaining surface remolded to accommodate a gold crown.  The dentist will numb the patients mouth and then place a rubber dam at the back of the throat in order to protect it from any debris that may fall backward into the mouth. 

The dentist then takes impressions of the teeth and uses these impressions to build a replica of the patients mouth.  This replica is sent over to a lab, where technicians will use it as a template, of sorts, to make a gold-crown that will custom-fits the mouth and the tooth being restored.   

This may take up to two weeks.  In the meantime, the dentist will place a temporary crown on the tooth at the end of the first visit.  The temporary will protect the work the dentist has done and prevent debris or decay from affecting it.

After the dental lab sends the gold crown back to the office, the patient returns for the fitting.   The crown is first tested by placing it over the tooth to make sure that it lines up evenly with the tops of other teeth.  The dentist also makes sure that it is even with the bite of the patient so that when the patient chews it does not bite his or her lips or cheek.    

Provided not problems are detected, the gold crown can now be mounted permanently in place.  Dental cement may be used for this, but dental bonding resin is becoming a more preferred substance in todays world of cosmetic dentistry.