GOLD PVD COATING the gold effect, without the gold.

01

What happens inside the vacuum chamber

"Physical vapor deposition" sounds abstract, but it describes literally what happens: a solid metal is turned into vapour and made to condense on the piece, layer after layer. It is not a paint job and not a galvanic bath: it is a precision industrial process I entrust to a specialised Italian centre, on pieces that arrive already mirror-polished by my hands. The steps, simplifying just enough:

1. 01

   Mirror polishing

   Before PVD the piece has to be perfect: the coating is extremely thin and faithfully copies the surface it finds. Any scratch would stay visible, which is why hand polishing comes before everything else.

2. 02

   High vacuum

   The piece enters a chamber from which almost all the air is pumped out. With no oxygen or dust, the metal vapour travels undisturbed and the coating bonds clean: it is the reason PVD cannot be done on a workbench.

3. 03

   Vaporising the titanium

   Inside the chamber a titanium source is hit with energy until the metal turns into vapour. On contact with the nitrogen introduced into the chamber it forms titanium nitride, the compound that carries the colour of gold.

4. 04

   Deposition onto the piece

   The vapour condenses on the surface of the grill and bonds to it: not a layer sitting on top, but a coating anchored to the metal. Afterwards the piece comes back to me for the final check and any stone setting.

Everything else, before and after the chamber, remains my work: 3D scan of the impression, digital sculpting on the cast of your teeth, polishing, quality control. PVD is one step of the process, not the process.

02

Titanium nitride: the substance behind the gold effect

The colour does not come from gold but from a ceramic compound, titanium nitride: titanium and nitrogen locked in an extremely hard lattice that reflects light with the same warm tone as 24Kt gold. I am not saying it as an excuse, I am saying it because it is the strong point: titanium nitride is far harder than gold, and on an object that lives in your mouth hardness matters more than carats.

Tool-grade hardness

Titanium nitride was born to coat industrial drill bits and cutters that have to cut other metals without wearing down. On the same principle it protects the surface of the grill from the micro-scratches of everyday use.

Stable gold colour

The tone is not a tint but an optical property of the compound: it does not fade in the light and does not oxidise the way brass and thin platings do. The colour you see on day one is the colour that stays.

Already all around you

Watch cases, glasses frames, fine cutlery and premium taps: gold-tone PVD is everywhere a working gold is needed. On grillz I bring the same logic: the look of a jewel, the resistance of a tool.

Under the coating sits the ISO 22674 cobalt-chrome dental alloy, compliant with the nickel-release limits of the REACH regulation: PVD adds colour and surface hardness to a base that is already stable on its own.

03

PVD, galvanic plating, solid gold: three different roads

Galvanic plating deposits a veil of real gold by electrolysis, in a liquid bath: it costs little because the layer is extremely thin, and in the mouth it wears off fast. PVD deposits under vacuum a compound that imitates gold but is far harder: no precious metal, superior hold. They are two processes that have nothing to do with each other, even if to the eye the day-one result can look the same.

And solid gold? That is another category: the whole piece in gold alloy, with prices that follow the metal's market rate. Today I do not do it, and I would rather say so clearly than sell you an ambiguous "gold": if one day I open up to precious metals you will read it here, carats included. If you are deciding what to buy, the honest guide to the three "golds" is on the dedicated page.

04

How long it lasts and what ruins it

Treated as a jewel, the PVD coating keeps its colour and mirror for years: it is among the most stable coloured finishes you can put on a metal, and it is why watchmaking has used it for decades. The rule is one: wear it when you want to shine, take it off to eat, drink and sleep, rinse it and put it back in its case. Its real enemies are few and precise:

Abrasive pastes and powders

Toothpaste, polishing creams, scrubbed baking soda: they micro-scratch the surface and dull the mirror. Warm water, mild soap and a soft brush are all it takes.

Biting and misuse

PVD resists rubbing, not concentrated pressure: biting with the grill on, opening packaging with it or carrying it loose in a pocket with your keys is the fastest way to mark it.

Harsh products

Bleach, solvents, home ultrasonic baths at the wrong power: they attack the finish and, if the piece has stones, they work against the settings.

Time, without care

No finish is eternal: after years of real use even PVD can dull at the contact points. The difference with plating is that we are talking years, not weeks.

If you take care of the piece, maintenance is all here: a rinse after use, a wipe with a cloth, case closed. For the right products and the ones to avoid there is the dedicated cleaning guide.

05

Essential or Premium: when PVD makes sense

Every grill of mine is born the same way: 3D scan of the impression, made-to-measure digital sculpting, printing in ISO 22674 cobalt-chrome alloy at a certified centre in Italy, hand polishing in the atelier. The Essential stops at the silver mirror and starts at €100 per tooth; the Premium adds the PVD chamber step and starts at €135. The price difference is all there: one extra treatment, declared for what it is.

Choose the Essential if you love the steel colour and want the most direct price; choose the Premium if your reference is the gold of the classic fronts. The structure, the fit on your cast and the hand finishing are identical on both.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about PVD coating