How to Separate Porcelain From Gold Caps

Dental crowns come in a variety of materials such as porcelain and gold. Porcelain crowns are used most often to repair your front teeth while gold is commonly used to repair your back teeth. Determining the difference between these types of materials and what each can offer will help you understand how crowns work. Factors that are determined when dealing with porcelain and gold crowns include cosmetic appearance, durability and the extent of tooth damage you are experiencing.

Instructions

• 1

  Inspect the color of your caps. Porcelain crowns are lighter and made to resemble your natural teeth. Gold crowns are often shiny and the color is a dark to medium golden hue. Gold crowns can also be silver in color.

• 2

  Examine the crown's thickness. Porcelain crowns are thinner and more susceptible to chipping or cracking than stronger, thicker gold crowns. Because of their weakness, gold crowns are used for back teeth because of the pressure exerted during chewing.

• 3

  Ask your dentist what bonding technique he will be using. Porcelain crowns are bonded around the tooth as well as anchored to the core of the tooth. This provides better stability and protection from chipping and cracking. Gold crowns do not require anchoring but are cemented to the tooth itself.

• 4

  Check the crown for leaks by running water over the surface. Porcelain crowns are more likely to leak fluid into the tooth because of processing that introduces small imperfections. Gold crowns are less likely to leak and are virtually waterproof.