The Disadvantages of Metal in Tooth Caps

A tooth cap, also known as a dental crown, is a covering placed over a tooth and cemented into place. Reasons for a tooth cap include protection of a decayed or weak tooth, fixing a broken or chipped tooth, covering a tooth that is mostly made of filling, securing a dental bridge or covering a dental implant. Materials used to make tooth caps include metal, resin, porcelain, or a combination of ceramic and metal.

Visibility

• In comparison to tooth-colored porcelain or resin, metal tooth caps are quite obviously visible. This is a disadvantage if you want your capped tooth to match your other teeth. Visibility is more of a concern when the teeth in the front of the mouth are capped with metal. If the teeth in the back of your mouth are metal-capped, they are unlikely to be seen unless you open your mouth widely.

Temperature Sensitivity

• Metals in general are efficient conductors of heat. This means that metal tooth caps may conduct heat or cold from food or the environment into your tooth. Those with sensitive teeth may find that metal caps are more temperature sensitive--for example, to hot coffee--than porcelain or resin caps.

Cost

• Although other metals may be used for tooth caps, gold is a common metal for the construction of these caps. The malleability of gold makes it popular with dentists as they can achieve a snug and precise fit of the gold tooth cap to the tooth. However, gold is an expensive metal and, therefore, the cost of a gold tooth cap may be a disadvantage when compared to ceramic or resin materials.