Have you ever heard someone mention dental inlays and onlays? If not, that’s OK! Many people are unfamiliar with this restorative treatment … until they visit us at Batavia Family Dental, their dentist in Batavia.
A primary goal of dentistry is to preserve as much of a patient’s tooth as possible. While a small cavity can be filled with relative ease, teeth that are decayed to a greater extent present a bigger challenge. If a tooth is still structurally sound, your dentist in Batavia is likely to want to restore that tooth without replacing the entire exterior portion of the tooth with a “crown.” Inlays & onlays can meet this need.
Some background … Gold inlays were primarily used to restore tooth structure affected by decay. Nowadays, they are used the same way but are available in undetectable tooth-colored materials, including ceramic/porcelain and synthetic resins. It’s an option when your cavity is too big for just a filling … or you’d like to replace an old amalgam filling.
An onlay, also known as a partial crown, is used to fix a tooth with significant damage to its cusp (the tip). Ordinarily, your dentist would place a temporary onlay, which will stay in your mouth until your permanent onlay arrives from the lab that does their restorative work. You would then need to come in for a second visit to have it properly fitted and bonded to your tooth. At Batavia Family Dental, we offer same-day restorations so you can have your inlay or onlay treatment completed in just one visit.
Inlays and onlays may be the right solution for…
- heavily decayed teeth
- fractured fillings
- fractured or broken teeth
- cosmetic enhancement.
Both restorative treatments are used on molars (your back teeth) or premolars (teeth beside the molars). As your dentist in Batavia, we can color-match inlays and onlays to look just like the rest of your natural teeth! You can smile away – as many times as you like – and you guessed it … no one will be able to tell you have had a restoration placed on your tooth!
Interested in learning more?
Batavia Family Dental is just a phone call away. We’d love to book you in for a consultation to help determine if inlays or onlays are right for your smile! Preserving and protecting your teeth and overall oral health is something we take great pride in.
Yours in dental health,
Dr. Steve Sokolovskiy, dentist in Batavia
P.S. Dental inlays and onlays are precisely created out of tooth-colored composite resin or porcelain to fit exactly in the area that has been prepared to accept the restoration.