You may be considering dental caps for health reasons, appearance reasons or both. Knowing whether or not the procedure has the full approval of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) can help answer some common questions about the safety and effectiveness of the procedure.
Current FDA Status
Dental caps are currently approved as Class I medical devices, which means that the FDA views the devices as proven safe enough for the minimum amount of regulation. This is actually good news for the consumer, as this means that caps have been around long enough and are unobtrusive enough to be classified as only minimally potentially harmful.
Lead in Caps?
Some concerned patients may have heard about the 2008 scare that raised the possibility of the existence of harmful lead in caps. The FDA investigated this claim and found that the caps that do contain lead consist of only trace amounts that pose no threat to the consumer. Not all metal caps have lead components and there are non-metal caps (such as those made of ceramics or porcelain), so patients who are still concerned despite the FDA's investigation have ample options from which to choose.
Dental caps have, in crude forms, been available for thousands of years. Caps became more sophisticated in the late 19th century, and FDA approval followed in the earlier part of the 20th century.
