Costs
The price of a dental restoration with a gold inlay is made up of various individual values. For this reason, it is not possible to indicate a flat-rate total price. However, it is important for the patient to note that a gold inlay is a so-called private service.
This means that statutory health insurance companies are not obliged to cover the costs of this type of dental prosthesis. As a rule, however, at least a partial amount corresponding to the costs of a normal dental filling with amalgam (20-35 Euros) is covered by the insurance. The patient must pay all other amounts privately.
A special supplementary dental insurance in turn covers all costs that are not covered by the statutory health insurance. Roughly speaking, the costs for a gold-bearing inlay filling are made up of four areas. In addition to the individual wishes of the patient and the cost of materials, the prices of the dentist and the dental laboratory also play a major role.
Furthermore, the price of a gold inlay also depends on its size, the desired quality and the exact fit. The costs for a gold inlay vary within Germany at present between 250 and 500 Euro. With this amount the material costs play a rather minor role. The dental technician needs about 1 to 4 g of gold to produce a gold inlay.
Production
A small caries usually affects the tooth structure only slightly and has little influence on its overall stability. If sufficient tooth substance remains after removal, it is sufficient to fill the tooth with amalgam or plastic materials. In the case of extensive carious defects and extensive loss of tooth substance, however, this is usually no longer sufficient, since plastic filling materials cannot withstand excessive chewing pressure sufficiently.There is a risk that the affected tooth will become porous over time and break.
For this reason, after the removal of a large caries, the preparation of a gold inlay should be considered. Besides the high stability and long durability of such an inlay filling, the good compatibility of gold inlays is another advantage. Only a few people have an allergic reaction to gold inlays.
In a direct comparison between gold and ceramic inlays, however, it must be noted that gold-bearing materials tend to transmit heat and cold strongly and can therefore lead to sensitivity. The treatment of a decayed tooth with a gold inlay filling must be done in several independent sessions. Before the gold inlay is made, the affected tooth must be prepared accordingly.
In a first step, the dentist must remove the carious defect completely with a drill and ensure that all pathogens are completely eliminated from the cavity. If necessary, the removal of the carious defect can be performed under local anesthesia. Depending on the extent of the caries, this treatment step can take about one hour.
Furthermore, the cavity must be prepared to receive the gold inlay. In order to ensure an optimal hold, the cavity is ground into a box shape (box preparation). The individual walls of this box must be at an angle (so-called cone angle) of approximately 6° to the floor surface in order to better cushion the chewing pressure.
In addition, all furrows and depressions in the area of the cavity must be removed. After successful preparation of the tooth, an impression of the denture must be taken. With the help of an impression that is as accurate as possible, the dental technician can create a gold inlay that fits perfectly.
Since it takes several days to make the gold inlay in the dental laboratory, the prepared tooth must be provisionally restored. For this purpose, the dentist makes a temporary filling (provisional) made of plastic in the same session. A model is made in the laboratory on the basis of the dental impression made in the dental practice.
On this model an exactly fitting wax inlay can then be formed. After the wax model of the gold inlay has been embedded in a special casting mould, the wax is melted down. In this way, liquid gold can be introduced into the cavity created within the casting mold.
After several hours of curing, the gold inlay is removed from the mold and further worked out. During this step the surface must be straightened and polished. Furthermore, it is checked whether the height of the gold inlay ensures an exact bite with the remaining teeth or whether grinding is necessary.
In a further treatment session in the dental office, the gold inlay is then bonded into the tooth. For this purpose the dentist uses a special cement or resorts to adhesives containing plastic. After the actual insertion, the bite height is checked again and the gold inlay is ground in if necessary.
