NHS dentist not providing gold inlay any more

frames1_uk

I'm due to get an inlay/onlay fitted on a back lower molar, the NHS dentist said it would be in gold, the same as the one on the upper molar (done by same practice on NHS).
Dentist phones me yesterday to say the lab say it will not be gold it will be 'metal coloured'.
I've done a bit of research and it seems gold is the substance used in almost all of these restorations (including NHS) unless tooth coloured ones are paid extra for.
Have the NHS stopped doing this or is this purely my practices decision (Oasis)? to save money?

Thanks

brook2jack

In theory a dentist can put anything they like in but they will loose money doing it.

Big companies like Oasis negotiate with dental laboratories directly and have set specifications for what materials will be used. Your dentist will have no say in that negotiation so a nhs inlay will be made to the specification set by Oasis that comes in at an economic cost for them.

frames1_uk

thanks for that, I guess I was lucky to get the gold one 3 or so years ago from the same practice, the lab maybe charge them more now.
Are the metal ones just made of the same amalgam that normal fillings are made from?

brook2jack

No. They are made in a laboratory that will make a model of your mouth. A technician will trim the plaster model, prepare it and then hand carve a piece of wax to the right shape. That is then put in a mold holder and special heat resistant stone poured in. The mold is put in a furnace the wax heated and poured out and the metal poured in . After it cools the stone is knocked off around it, the metal polished and finished and sent back.

The metal will be a combination of various metals including probably some gold but nothing like amalgam used in fillings.

frames1_uk

thank you, I knew the procedure for making the filling, just wondered if the combination of metals was similar to the filling they just took out, ie the old amalgam type. (what is amalgam anyway) lol