How to Return to the
Gold Standard in
Posterior Restorations
The breakthrough technology that
makes it simple and affordable to
fabricate restorations using the
material most dentists agree is the
best.
Produced by the Editors
of Dental Lab Products
in partnership with
D
espite advances in material science and
impression and milling technology, no
restorative option has replaced gold in terms
of quality, biocompatibility or performance.
So why is gold used so infrequently?
Few things are
certain in economics,
but we can always
count on the value
of gold rising during
difficult financial
times. Between 2002
and 2012, the price
of gold shot from
$250 per ounce to
$1,700, making it cost
prohibitive for dental
labs to keep in stock.
T
o a large extent, you can blame the rise of computers and
the decline of the world economy.
Over the past decade, advancements in technology and
indirect restorative materials have opened up a wealth of new
options for dentists. Patients can now receive restorations that
are stronger, more aesthetically appealing and longer lasting
than ever before.
Much of this progress occurred via the rise of today’s
cutting-edge CAD/CAM systems, combined with the better
precision offered by new digital impression technologies. But
the rapid ascension of computer-assisted design and
manufacturing came with a price. Through all the advancements, one age-old dental material was left behind: gold.
Gold as a restoration material has fallen by the wayside for
a number of reasons, none of them clinical and most of them
financial. When the CAD/CAM dental industry was in its
infancy, it was quickly determined that the milling machines
necessary to render these complex designs into finished
products were large and expensive. And the largest and most
expensive were the ones that milled metals. The untested new
technologies naturally gravitated to materials less expensive to
mill, like zirconia and lithium disilicate (e.max).
Meanwhile, around the time these new manufacturing
methodologies were developing, the price of gold began
skyrocketing. The price became so volatile that dentists could
Benefits of Gold for
Posterior Restorations
Enhanced marginal integrity
Gold implants consistently
display a better marginal fit
when compared to other
materials. This likely plays a
role in their superior longevity.1
Non-antagonistic
The malleable nature of gold
creates a gentler fit on the
tooth enamel at the implant’s
margins. Over years of
excursive chewing motions,
this tiny bit of flexibility makes a
huge difference, and also
probably factors into gold
restorations’ durability.
Biocompatible
Gold is known as a highly biocompatible material, not just in
dentistry but in other
healthcare fields as well.2
Dentist acceptance
None of this is news to
dentists, who would use gold
far more often were it
financially viable.
History of success
Gold has been an important
element in tooth restoration
for literally thousands of years.
Few substances in healthcare
are as well-known, reliable and
time-tested. If the use of gold
presented health problems,
they would have been
identified ages ago.
never know how much their restorations would cost. Offering
patients a flat fee became virtually impossible. And there was
no system for milling gold, so it could only be worked by hand,
adding time and expense for those who wanted to continue
using the precious metal.
Thus a combination of technological convenience and
uncertain global financial markets led to gold’s rapid
withdrawal from the world of dentistry.
Bringing gold back
R
eturning gold to its rightful position as a viable and
valuable material for restorations required the confluence
of three technological and business innovations. First, milling
machines that had the resillience to mill metals had to come
down in price. Second was the development of a process that
would consistently produce virutally porosity free pucks on a
scale that was economically viabile. The third innovation was
to create a relationship between a refinery and milling operation
that could make the entire operation economically viable.
One company, Strategy Milling, gets the credit for
making this synergy possible. Strategy Milling is owned by
Atlantic Precious Metal Refining, a company with deep
experience in refining and the dental laboratory industry.
Atlantic recognized the technological and economic forces
hindering dentists and labs from working with gold—despite its
unmatched combination of hardness, antagonistic wear,
malleability, biocompatibility and ease of cementation and
removal—and the company set out to find a solution.
Atlantic spent a year in research and development to create
a proprietary process that produces relatively porosity-free gold
pucks. They also researched close to 30 different milling
machines before choosing the Roeders RXD5. This combination of puck fabrication and milling technology provided the
breakthrough solution that enabled Strategy Milling to make
gold restorations available to every dental lab, dentist and
dental patient.
Benefits to dental labs
I
>> To learn more about
how you can offer your
dentists the gold standard
in posterior dental
restorations, visit the
Strategy Milling website at
strategymilling.com.
n a 2012 survey, 98.5 percent of dentists said gold is the best
material for restoring posterior teeth. With the innovations
discussed in this e-book, dental labs can now offer dentists their
material of choice while enjoying the following benefits:
• Time savings: Strategy Milling’s 6,000 square foot
facility maintains three Roeders RXD5 milling
machines paired with three Roeders RCS-1
Automation Robots that can work round the clock to
provide fast turnaround of the most detailed
restorations.
• Financial security: Labs can now offer gold
restorations without tying up capital to maintain their
own gold inventory. Because of Strategy Milling’s
relationship with Atlantic, puck inventory is
maintained at optimal levels. The milling operation
creates almost no waste, and any waste that is created
can be quickly and efficiently recycled.
• Flat fee: Labs now have an opportunity to grow their
gold crown business by offering a flat-fee gold
restoration to their clients that hasn’t been seen in over
a decade. Strategy Milling maximizes all the proven
benefits digitization and milling have provided other
restorative materials.
In addition, you can: • Receive your cases in as little as two to three days.
• Reduce labor hours dedicated to waxing, spruing,
investing and more.
• Boast exceptional milling accuracy.
• Require minimal despruing, finishing, and polishing.
References
1. Larson TD. The clinical significance of marginal fit. Northwest Dent. 2012 JanFeb;91(1):22-29.
2. Hung HS, et al. Biocompatibility and favorable response of mesenchymal stem cells on
fibronectin-gold nanocomposites. PLoS One. 2013 June 24;8(6):e65738.
Learn how you can offer your
clients the Gold Standard in
Posterior Dental Restorations with
Strategy Milling.
A Passion For
Innovation Leads
To A Revolution In
Digital Dentistry.
Strategy Milling is
your only source for
milled full contour
gold crowns and
bridges proudly made
entirely in the USA.
>> See the gold milling
process in action
in this video by clicking the
photo above or visiting
strategymilling.com.
>> Sign up as a new
customer by clicking the
photo above or visiting
strategymilling.com/
new-customer.