Even that advantage turned out to be illusory, however. Though it was claimed that the best uranium compounds replicated the white fluorescence of natural teeth, research showed that some porcelain teeth fluoresced red, violet, or bright yellow. In other words, not only were you nuking your gums, when you opened your mouth you looked like a neon sign. That put the matter over the top. Numerous authorities urged that the use of uranium in dental porcelain be discontinued, and in the mid-1980s the federal exemption was revoked.
Most dental porcelain sold today is uranium-free.
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