Inlays

A porcelain inlay/onlay is an Indirect method of restoring a tooth with a white filling. They are usually used where there is more tooth tissue loss and a white composite filling would be too large. They are placed over two appointments from an impression taken by the dentist. This is sent away to the dental laboratory where a technician constructs the restoration. During the time between the two appointments you will have a temporary filling in place. At the second appointment the temporary filling is removed and the inlay is cemented in place. The costs for this treatment are comparable with crowns and veneers because of the extra time and laboratory stages of the treatment.

Bonded all porcelain or reinforced resin:

This is the newest type of dental crown. This type of crown has the nicest appearance. Made out of pure ceramic or a new fibre-reinforced composite resin, it mimics the appearance of nature to the point where it is difficult to tell that it is not natural. It takes advantage of the new bonding technology, which allows us to bond it to your tooth so that it acts like it is one piece with your tooth--it's like an enamel replacement. All porcelain crown costs more than a gold or porcelain fused to metal crown. It is metal-free, and thus satisfies the needs of patients with metal sensitivities.

On back teeth, when we use bonding technology, we generally do what is called a TOOTH-COLORED ONLAY. This is very similar to an all porcelain crown, and sometimes we use the terms interchangeably. Using the term onlay, however, means that we are grinding away less of the tooth - we leave the healthy tooth structure alone as much as possible. With an onlay, since we can keep the margins away from the gum, we greatly reduce the tendency to gum inflammation that can occur with dental crowns. It also is metal-free. However, under very heavy biting pressures, there is a cracking risk with a porcelain onlay.

Gold Inlay:

Gold Inlay

Where appearance is not a concern to you, a gold crown could be the best choice. Since the gold metal is very workable, gold crowns are able to have a more precise fit than any other type of dental crown. Gold crowns also eliminate the slight possibility of chipping that exists with anything that contains porcelain. For simple longevity, nothing beats gold.They tend to be used on posterior teeth where the bite is very tight since they can be made in very thin sections (0.5mm compared to 2.0mm for porcelain and porcelain bonded crowns.)

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