Inlays, Onlays, Crowns and Bridges
Over time, fillings may need to be replaced due to recurrent decay, fracture or old age. When older fillings are large, there is always a concern that teeth will no longer be strong enough to withstand the ordinary daily forces of chewing, clenching and grinding. If these forces become too great, teeth can break or fracture.
Inlays and Onlays
Patient (right) with congenitally missing lateral incisors had his smile restored with bilateral ceramic bridges.
All ceramic inlays and onlays are porcelain restorations that can replace existing old fillings, broken fillings or metal fillings. By bonding a restoration to your natural remaining tooth structure, it can be made whole again. Inlays and onlays are essentially the same type of restoration but named differently because of the size of the restoration. Inlays are placed within the walls of a tooth, while onlays extend over the sidewall of a tooth. The restorative material we tend to use most is Emax by Ivocalr Vivadent a reinfroced glass ceramic restoration. A very strong material that doesn’t compromise esthetics and can be very accurate in shade matching. In other circumstances we may use a Zirconia material or Porcelain Fused to Metal restoration. Please inquire into the pros and cons of each.
We recommend inlays and onlays whenever possible. They do a better job of preserving the bite with which you have chewed for most of your life. Preparing teeth for inlays or onlays involves the removal of old fillings and any underlying decay. An impression is taken of the prepared tooth and a mold is sent off to Image Dental Laboratory, our top tier lab partner located in Barrie. Once the inlay or onlay created by Image Dental is bonded into place, your tooth will be restored almost back to its original strength. It will, of course, look perfectly natural.
Crowns
Patient unhappy with his smile had it restored with upper crowns, giving him a younger, brighter smile.
A crown is essentially a porcelain cap that covers the entire tooth, strengthening it and restoring it to its former beauty. Crowns used to be made of metals, including gold, but modern dentistry has produced superior ceramic crown materials such as Lithium Disilicate. We use a branded version of this material called Emax, created by Ivoclar Vivadent, the industry leader in dental restorative compounds.
Crowns are often the recommended treatment to restore root canal-treated teeth, and for teeth that have very large fillings. When a tooth becomes weak enough to require a crown, the filling and any underlying decay must be removed, and the tooth prepared for a cap to be cemented over top. Preparing a tooth for a crown is an invasive procedure that results in a loss of healthy tooth structure as well as a reduction of all functional cusps of a tooth. This gives you a new bite to which you must adjust. Even the best lab technician in the world cannot create the exact bite that you have been used to.
Often inlays and onlays are better alternatives to crowns. They involve the removal of the existing filling, preserving the ‘good’ tooth structure while maintaining the existing bite with which you have chewed for most of your life.
Not sure if you need a crown, an inlay or an onlay? Please give us a call at 519-986-2106 and we will arrange a consultation at your convenience.
Click here to
Make an Appointment
Inlays and Onlays
Before and After
Professionals
Crowns
Before and After
Professionals
All Services
Schedule your appointment Now
Reach out to us to schedule your next visit.