What type of PM should the dentist use on my tooth?

BigE

Bad toothache, dentist told me I needed to have a filling a month ago, maybe he will have to do a root canal!!!!!! What type of metal should I insist upon, is 90% cheaper? lol----------BigE

OPA

Are you talking about a crown, if so, I used to have gold crowns, but they did not last any longer than the enamel crowns. Enamel is less expensive and lasts just as long and do not reflect the suns rays when you open your mouth.

derryb

lanthanum, didymium, erbium or terbium would be a good choice. Go with the cheapest at the time.

fishteeth

Well if you need a root canal you will likely need a crown. In that case you can have many options.

If you go with a metal crown or porcelain fused to metal crown you will have a mixture of gold/platinum/palladium and silver of various levels of purity (probably about 60% precious metals). Now if the dentist is cheap you will end up with a base metal crown, basically an old car bumper for metal.

Now we also can make the crown out of various "enamal" or porcelain like products. Some are simply porcelain, others milled zirconium, etc. I could go
on but would bore you all to death.

I personally have gold for all of my crowns, all made and hand cast by me from a mixture of coins and other peoples old crowns. Gold is still the best restoration due to it haveing wear properties very similar to natural teeth and no allergy concerns.

As a side note at one time silver coins used to be ground up and mixed with mercury for the early amalgam fillings. Wonder how many rare, pre civil war coins got turned into silver fillings.

BigE

I dont know guys, all I know is he told me maybe a root canal would have to be done, first time ever had this happen, I just assumed he would have to fill it with something after drilling, I know silver is anti-biotic of sorts?--------BigE

BigE

Thanks fishteeth and everyone, think I will go for the gold----BigE

BigE

Opa, you got a good point there, dont want to look like jaws on 007, now I am confused again-----BigE

derryb

Nothing wrong with a little bling.

cladking

Do not use silver.

They don't use silver they use mercury with silver in it. Mercury is a severe nerve toxin.

Bear

The silver is a mixture of silver and several toxic metals like mercury. A significant number of people

appear to show ill effects of a neurological nature from such fillings. Porcelain or gold are the modern choices

with a number of enamels that are not as long lasting.

BigE

Bear, thats worrying me too, doing chemo right now means my resistance is low, hope my docs give me the correct advice, thanks-------BigE

sumrtym

If the tooth is near the front, i.e. can see gum line when smiling, I'd go with a zirconia crown. They are much more expensive, but with a fused to metal (no matter which metal), you're gonna get that metal showing along the gum line over time. The zirconia does not have that line and looks much more natural.

DrBuster

I got a white gold crown last year, bling away.

fishteeth

Silver fillings contain about 50% silver and about 50% mercury (other trace elements like Zinc and copper). The mercury is in its elemental form, this is not the dangerous form of mercury.
Mercury becomes dangerous when it is methylated, which happens as it enters the food chain. There is more harmful mercury in one can of tuna than in a mouthful of silver/mercury fillings.
Silver fillings are very well studied and any dentist telling you they are dangerous is usually trying to sell you expensive replacements or a crook and CAN loose their licence for this practice.

Now silver fillings will, more than likely, be banned at some point. This will occur because of the waste amalgam getting into wastewater and eventually into the environment where microbes can convert it into dangerous foms. I currently have to have an expensive filtration system in my lines to capture as much amalgam waste as possible.