I prefer natural medicine and am in need of a dental crown. Because of my thyroid issues, I do not want any lithium, metals, or metal ions in any of my dental work. I like the look of ceramic crowns and wondered if they would fit the bill for me.

Caolyn

Dear Carolyn,

 

Ceramic crowns are metal free, However, the metal ions are another issue altogether. There are metal ions in all ceramics. That being said, I want you to understand that metal or metal ions in themselves are not harmful. For instance, you have metal in your bloodstream at all times, with iron. Some metal ions are necessary for your health. Some of these are calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, molybdenum, and cobalt. There are others.

The type of dental crown you want to avoid are those with a metal base. Any all-porcelain or ceramic crown will be perfectly safe and even beautiful when done by the right dentist as long as they don’t have that metal base I mentioned.

When you have a metal based dental crown, the results are usually more opaque than you would want them to be for a beautiful result. In addition, they all end up with a gray line at your gumline.

One thing I would look for in your place is a holistic dentist. They are much more willing to work around a patient’s preferences and almost all of them are metal free as a matter of course.

I hope this helps.

This blog is brought to you by San Antonio Dentist Dr. Tostado.