Why not gold? Contemporary esthetics and restorative practice

In today's dental world, there are many more options of materials and equipment than there was years ago. It can be very confusing for anyone to sift through the marketing and lectures and determine which of the new materials are best suited for our patients. Classic gold techniques have been around for over 100 years and have an obvious track record. Leinfelder (7) has stated, "Gold alloys are certainly the best materials by far in terms of maintaining a functional occlusion and longevity." Underutilized in the recent past, gold is undergoing a comeback in many areas. A major dental company recently introduced a new casting gold and recent advertisements for gold-related products have reappeared in dental magazines. It is incumbent upon the modern dental professional to be aware of all the restorative options available, learn how to perform them, and then choose the technique that will be the most appropriate for each situation. Longevity should always be a factor in the decision making process and gold is the answer in many applications.