I went to a new dentist because I needed a dental crown. I asked for a gold crown. Unfortunately, I had a weird feeling that is not what I got. I asked him for the alloy certificate he told me that they didn’t give it to him. I asked him to get it, which he did. There was only 2% gold. The rest was 35% Palladium, 30% Indium, 30% Silver, 3% Zinc. Now I feel cheated. Should I be concerned about any systemic issues from the palladium and indium? I’m mad and worried.

Jack

Dear Jack,

Yeah, I’m not having a lot of faith in your dentist. First, he lied to you in order to provide a cheaper alloy. If he charged you for a true gold alloy then he stole from you, too. In order for something to be considered a gold crown, then it requires a minimum of 40% gold. I also believe he lied to you about the alloy certificate. Labs are legally obligated to provide the dentist with the certificate, who in turn is supposed to place the certificate in your file. My guess is that he threw it out and then got another one when you asked about it.

My suggestion is that you tell your dentist that if he doesn’t give you a refund or replace the crown with a true gold crown you will contact the dental board. You should also switch dentists as soon as possible. I don’t think that you have anything to worry about with the iridium or palladium. If you did, you would be seeing some type of inflammation on your gums.

This blog is brought to you by friendly dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.
Click here to see how she keeps prices affordable.