Traditionally, gold has been used to make coins, ingots and jewelry, but in recent times it has been used in a variety of less typical ways, in jewelry. The use of gold in the manufacture of jewelry dates back to about 6,000 years ago. Due to its non-toxic composition and its malleable nature, gold has been present in dentistry for more than 3000 years. Gold is also not corrosive, so it has been widely used in bridges, fillings and crowns.
The rise in the price of gold in the late 1970s caused a decline in the use of dentistry, but it has reappeared because there are no known negative effects on human health. Gold is even used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. By relieving pain by reducing swelling and stiffness, patients usually undergo about 22 weeks of injections with gold salts before seeing results.
