If you require repairs made in your smile- not to worry about mercury amalgam fillings, we have the counter for you. Porcelain Inlays and Onlays are a natural-looking substitute to amalgam fillings.
Gorgeous and long-lasting/durable, they are formed to fit and fill most types of cavities and are almost impossible to distinguish from natural teeth. If your old metal fillings are making your smile unappealing and gloomy, we at California Smile Design can easily replace them with good-looking porcelain alternatives.
Inlays and onlays are used to replace your silver fillings. These restorations are usually made from amalgamated resin material, porcelain, or gold. Once placed, they are virtually undetectable in the mouth, and they conserve much of your natural tooth structure.
For an inlay to be successful, it is best if the cavity involves only the occlusal surface and one proximal surface. The other proximal surface should be free of decay. An onlay, which is similar to an inlay, covers the entire proximal surface and protects the cusps from fracture. Treatment involves segregation of the tooth and removal of the old fillings under local anesthesia. Once our dentist Dr. Hawary makes an impression, the inlay/onlay is created from porcelain, gold, or composite resin material. The inlay/onlay is then paved securely into place. Inlays and onlays usually take 2 to 3 appointments to complete. The onlay is the best alternative for covering larger surface restorations. An inlay/onlay looks exactly like the rest of the tooth, and is so durable that it doesn’t need to be replaced for years.
Unlike metal fillings, an onlay can often be used to repair only the damaged portion of the tooth, leaving much more of the original tooth structure intact. And that is an added avantage.
Advantages of Dental Inlays/onlays:
Inlays and onlays are very durable/ long-lasting and esthetic due to the fact that they are fashioned in a laboratory. This guardsthe tooth from fracturing and actually strengthens the tooth. In addition, inlays and onlays fit almost absolutely into the prepared surface of the tooth, reducing the size of the seam between the restoration and the tooth. This helps keep decay from reoccurring under the restoration.
Inlays and onlays only require the removal of decomposed or weak areas of the tooth, leaving more healthy tooth construction intact as compared to a crown. This will decrease the probability of replacement or the expense of root canal therapy in the future.
Am I a Candidate:
If you have a cavity that extends beyond or over the cusp of your tooth, or if you have a failing metal amalgam or crown that covers one or more cusp(s) of your tooth, you are a candidate.
