Hi ono8ono,

The restorative material that is used for the crown restoration that covers the top of the dental implant is limited to the type of implant that was used because there are many different types of dental implants and each with a bit of a different restorative approach. So your dentist may have offered you the options that pertain to the particular implant that was used.

The difference in the strengths between metal and porcelain depends on the metals and the type of porcelain that is used. Gold is a very high noble metal but very soft metal. To be able to mold it, other metals have to be incorporated into the gold to make it into a solid form. Depending on what the dentist specifically orders from the lab, the gold portion of the crown may be as little as 60% gold and the rest would be platinum, palladium and silver. Some labs will use different metals to add to the gold to reduce the cost to the dentist. This decrease in cost is not usually passed on to the patient. I think many people are under the impression that when they have a gold crown that they have am actual "gold" crown. The fact is that the crown is only partially "gold" and if they were to sell it on the open market it would only be worth a few dollars.

Porcelain materials vary also. Zirconium which is actually a metal but has the appearance of porcelain is extremely durable for posterior teeth. Emax is a porcelain that is not as durable as Zirconium but it has a nice aesthetic appearance.

Your dentist needs to be the one to recommend the best option for your particular case as he has to take into consideration your occlusal plane (bite) and the health as well as the restorations of the teeth that this tooth will be biting against. Some dental materials will hold up better while other will wear down quicker depending upon what they are chewing against.

Regarding the cost of the crown... dental offices have a written fee schedule for each procedure and restoration. Those fees will vary from their norm due to charity work and due to their participation in certain insurance plans by which they are governed to charge a certain fee and/or not above a certain fee per procedure/restoration. Dental fees are already inflated to take into consideration the cost of inflation. That is one reason why dentistry is generally so expensive to begin with.

Here is a brief but informative explanation of dental implants and the restorative aspect from Columbia University College of Dental Medicine.

http://www.simplestepsdental.com/SS/...5546/pr.3.html

Hope this info helps.
It is best to discuss the restorative options with your dentist and mutually decide on what your expectations are and what would be best in your case.

Bryanna




QUOTE=ono8ono;1186693]I just had my implant #19 a month ago and I have to wait 4 months to have a crown to put on top of the implant. My dentist told me I have a choice of either procelain or gold. From what i learnt on line, gold crown is better for molar and procelain is better for front teeth. Since mine is a molar, so is gold crown better? Anyone could comment on the difference? Thank you.[/QUOTE]