Dental

Palladium, and to a much lesser extend platinum, are the principal platinum group metals used in dental restorations. The metals are usually mixed with gold or silver as well as copper and zinc in varying rations to produce alloys suitable for dental inlays, crowns and bridges. Small amounts of ruthenium or iridium are sometimes added.

The most common application is in crowns, where the alloy forms the core onto which porcelain and other materials are bonded to build up an artificial tooth. The aim of using PGMs in dental alloys is to provide strength, stiffness and durability whilst the other alloyed metals provide malleability.