Dentistry, gold crowns

In dentistry, palladium alloys are widely used as alternatives to base metal alloys in the manufacture of crowns and bridges as weU as the replacement of lost or damaged teeth (see Dental materials). Such alloys contain over 80% palladium, and hence offer significant cost benefits over alloys containing a high proportion of gold. 

Platinum has many uses in dentistry. Pure platinum foil serves as the matrix in the constmction of fused-porcelain restorations. Platinum foil may be laminated with gold foil for cold-welded foil restorations. Platinum wire has found use as retention posts and pins in crown and bridge restorations. Heating elements and thermocouples in high-fusing porcelain furnaces are usually made of platinum or its alloys (see Platinum-GROUP metals). 

Because of its resistance to corrosion, gold is an ideal metal for dental crowns and caps, which accounts for about 3% of the annual use of the element The pure metal is too soft to use in dentistry, so it is combined with other metals to form alloys. 

Dentistry and medicine. Owing to its chemical inertness, its lack of toxicity, and its compatibility with all bodily fluids, gold is extensively used in dentistry in inlays, crowns, bridges, and orthodontic appliances. 

Industrial applications and uses. Palladium is used in some watch springs or alloyed for use in jewelry. White gold is an alloy of gold decolorized by the addition of palladium and can be beaten into leaves as thin as 0.1 pm. It is also used in dentistry for making crowns as replacement for gold. Finally, it is also used to make surgical instruments. 

Another 10% end-user of palladium is dentistry. By alloying it with palladium dental gold can be made harder and more wear resistant The introduction of more gold covering of porcelain crowns has increased this palladium use. 

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