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inlay/onlay/crowns

Inlay/Onlay
When more than half of the tooth's biting surface is damaged , the dentist will often use an inlay or onlay to correct the problem. The inlays can be made of porcelain, gold or a composite resin (plastic filling) which is bonded to the damage area of the tooth.

Often a porcelain material is used because it matches the colour of your teeth.

Inlay		An inlay - inlay is similar to a tooth filling and is inside the cusp tips of the tooth.
Onlay		An onlay - onlay is more extended reconstruction that covers a bigger part of the tooth.

It will take two appointments to bond a porcelain inlay/onlay to the damaged area of the tooth. At the first appointment the old filling or cavity is repaired and the tooth is prepared for porcelain inlay/onlay. Then the dentist takes an impression of the tooth and sends it to a dental lab for fabrication. The dentist would then make a temporary restoration on tooth and schedule the next appointment.

At the second appointment the temporary restoration is removed. First, the doctor would make sure that the inlay or onlay fits correctly. When the fit is perfected, the inlay or onlay will be bonded to the tooth with a strong resin adhesive and polished to a smooth finish.

Traditional fillings can reduce the strength of a natural tooth by up to 50%. As an alternative, inlay and onlay, is bonded directly onto the tooth using special high-strength resins, can actually increase the strength of a tooth by up to 75%. As a result, they can last from 10 to 30 years.

Crowns
If the tooth is too damaged of caries, break off or is weak the dentist could suggest placing an artificial crown on the tooth. The treatment is painless and requires 2-3 appointments by the dentist.

If the roots and the holds are strong, the dentist will prepare the crown, by removing a part of the enamels and the dentine.

If the tooth is too damaged and too weak, it could be necessary to insert a root post made of metal into the tooth to give the crown support. In this case the root filling has first to be done before it could be attached to the crown.

Because the crown must fit properly and fit all the other teeth, several impressions have to be done and send to a dental lab. The dentist uses a temporary crown till next appointment.

The second appointment, the dentist will bond the new crown to the root post. Depending on what material is used, crowns would last at least 25 years.