Precious metal alloys for dental applications

Abstract: Precious metals have a long history of use for dental applications because of their ease of manipulation and excellent biocompatibility. Presently, most precious alloys are used for restoration of teeth as crowns or bridges by casting and lost-wax investment methods. This chapter reviews common characteristics of dental precious alloys, and common high noble and noble alloy groups are presented. Physical and mechanical properties are described as relative to common dental procedures such as finishing and polishing. Modifications of the precious alloys for metal-ceramic bonding as well as some novel applications are also discussed. Finally, trends for future applications of precious alloys in dentistry are considered.