Gold prices have risen wildly in the last year but it continues to be an in-demand material for dental restorations and frequently requested for both aesthetic & clinical reasons. Accordingly the gold content of precious alloys has been reduced slightly with increased proportions of silver and palladium making up the deficit.
Here are the most common queries we receive regarding precious metals:
Yes, we are a nickel-free laboratory so patients with nickel allergies should be fine with any of our metal types. Our non-precious Silver is a primarily cobalt-chrome alloy. Our semi-precious Silver was switched from palladium to platinum alloy in 2020 as they are virtually identical from working and aesthetic perspectives but platinum is currently much more cost-effective for use in dentistry.
You can see a full composition breakdown of our alloys as follows:
| Cobalt | Chromium | Molybdenum | Silicon | Carbon | Iron | Manganese |
| 59.50 | 31.50 | 5.00 | 2.00 | <1.00 | <1.00 | <1.00 |
| Platinum | Ruthenium | Cobalt | Chromium | Manganese | Silicon |
| 20.00 | 5.70 | 43.50 | 29.30 | <1.00 | <1.00 |
| Gold | Palladium | Silver | Copper | Indium | Zinc | Iridium | Lithium |
| 39.90 | 4.00 | 45.99 | 7.59 | 1.50 | 1.00 | <1.00 | <1.00 |
| Gold | Palladium | Silver | Copper | Zinc | Iridium | Indium |
| 58.00 | 3.25 | 27.00 | 10.49 | 1.00 | <1.00 | <1.00 |
Yes, there is a shade difference between our gold types. As you can see below, the 58% gold restoration has a slightly warmer yellow hue due to the higher gold content. Patients should be aware of this difference when considering gold restorations in aesthetic zones.
Precious metal restorations are charged at our standard unit price (see price guide at CosTech Portal) plus the cost of the alloy used in production. Current alloy prices are as follows:
| Metal type | Price per 0.1g |
| Silver: Non-Precious | N/A (included as standard) |
| Silver: Semi-Precious | £5.30 |
| Gold 39.9% | £10.79 |
| Gold 58% | £14.21 |
Prices correct as of 4.3.26
Due to their nature as custom medical devices, we cannot accurately predict how much metal will be used to make a given restoration. Crowns typically come in around 2-3g, but we also see cases coming in at 5g or more. The cost of any precious metal used will be added to the standard restoration fee.
Please note that precious metal prices can fluctuate rapidly. Feel free to contact us for up-to-date prices at the point of prescription.
Yes, we can produce precious gold crowns suitable for both NHS & Private patients. Both of our gold types are well in excess of the 33⅓% precious alloy requirements. We strongly urge all of our clients to check current NHS and regional restrictions as necessary.
If you have any questions about our precious metal protocols, please get in touch. You can email our team on [email protected] or call on 01474 320 076.
