Dental crowns can be made in both metal and non-metal based materials. Among all the available alternatives, gold is considered to be the best possible material for dental restorations such as crowns. There are some key advantages of using gold. It is a noble metal, which is non-reactive in nature. That makes gold a highly biocompatible metal that does not pose any harm to the health of the person using gold crowns.

The strength and durability of gold is of a very high degree. Among all crown materials, gold is by far the strongest one. If the patient maintains good oral hygiene and makes periodic dental visits, a gold crown can last for a lifetime without any problem. The patient can eat and drink any kind of foods and beverages normally like any other person with good oral health. An absolutely normal functioning of the crown can be maintained, and there will be no compromise on the longevity of the gold crown.

Even after years of use, a gold crown does not experience any significant ill-effects of the daily wear and tear, and does not become dull or black either. Gold crowns are normally used for the posterior teeth where the biting, chewing and grinding forces are the highest. Any other material in place of gold may not be able to withstand such constant pressure for very long.

Another quality of gold is that it is a very malleable metal by nature. That makes it easy to fabricate a very accurate fitting crown. The thermal expansion and contraction of gold also closely matches to that of a natural tooth. Therefore, it responds to hot and cold substances in a similar way as the rest of the natural teeth.

However, the limitation of gold is that it can compromise the oral aesthetics of the patient if used for within the smile line area. As a result, porcelain crowns are used for the front teeth in order to address the aesthetic concerns.