Can you have 2 gold crowns touch in your mouth without getting shocked?

I have a gold crown on a molar on the top and I just recently got another crown done on the tooth on the bottom. These 2 teeth touch when I chew. They didn't even ask me if I wanted gold or not and they just automatically gave me porcelain. Did they do this so I don't get galvonic shock? Just curious cause I have 5 crowns all together and all of them are gold except the one they just did.

Can you have 2 gold crowns touch in your mouth without getting shocked?
Yes. It is when you have metals of different composition touching that gives you a shock. It is called a galvanic reaction and if your dentist is restoring your mouth, that person should be informed enough to help you. If you want a gold crown and it would oppose a silver filling (i.e. amalgam) you could either replace the amalgam or not get a gold crown. If you had two gold crowns touching they would be fine because they are like materials.
Reply:You won't get a galvanic reaction between gold crown/silver filling or gold crown/ porcelain crown.


I put gold crowns on 2nd molars because I can reduce the tooth structure less than for a porcelain crown. If an opposing crown is needed at a later date, I would tend to use gold again so that the crowns are of similar hardness (apart from the 1st reason above). Therefore one crown won't preferentially wear away because of the opposing crown. It might seem a small point, but I'd rather have gold crowns in a tight place than porcelain. Gold's a great material from a technical point of view.