Inlays and onlays restore the function and health of smiles in West Hills, California
Most people have heard of dental fillings and dental crowns, but the majority of people are not quite familiar with options of inlays and onlays. Inlays and onlays are alternative treatment options when dental decay has caused more damage to the tooth to be restored by a simple filling and is not large enough to need a crown. Even though these options may be less familiar to the public, everyone should learn about these conservative yet versatile restorations. Inlays and onlays are custom-made dental restorations which are a great replacement for the missing tooth structure due to decay and/or fracture and can be named as a partial crown where only the broken or decayed part of the tooth is prepared and the healthy part remains intact. Just like in the Goldilocks story, inlays and onlays can be the solution in many cases that is “just right”!
At Royal Dental Practice, Dr Shoffet performs an in-depth evaluation of each individuals’ teeth to make sure the appropriate solution is recommended to fit any patient specific needs, which may be an inlay or an onlay.
What are inlays and onlays?
Inlays and onlays are similar to dental fillings in that they restore a portion of the tooth that is decayed or damaged, and they are similar to dental crowns in that they are made from a durable dental material – typically porcelain or composite resin or gold. These are custom-made after the tooth is prepared by your skilled dentist followed by dental impressions.
The difference between inlays and onlays
The key difference between inlays and onlays is how much of the tooth it covers:
- An inlay fits within the hollow of the tooth but does not affect the cusps (the pointy parts at the top of posterior teeth)
- An onlay repairs damage to the tooth cusps as well as the overall biting surface and is sometimes called a “partial crown” because it works very similarly but does not cover the entire surface of the tooth
What to expect with inlays and onlays
Getting inlays or onlays normally takes two appointments. In the first appointment, we prepare your tooth by gently drilling out and disinfecting the decayed areas. Then, we take dental impressions of the tooth so that your inlay or onlay can be custom-fabricated in a laboratory, and then we place a temporary inlay or onlay on the tooth to protect it and keep you comfortable while your restoration is being made. Once your inlay or onlay is ready, you will come back into the office and we will “try it on” to ensure it has the perfect fit, making any minor adjustments needed, and then bond it onto the tooth to restore its natural shape and function and protect it from further damage or decay. The results are outstanding.
Your partners in oral health
At Royal Dental Practice, we are devoted to providing personalized care based on every patient’s unique needs, and have particular expertise in providing care for older patients. To schedule your appointment at our West Hills, California dental practice, call us today at (818) 334-6655 or book your appointment online!
Patient Onlay Restoration at Royal Dental Practice - Dr. Roya Shoffet
Hello, everyone. Today I want to explain the journey of this tooth that had a very old restoration and an old amalgam. You can see some decay on the proximal side and abrasion.
This filling is probably from a long time ago, maybe when he was a teenager, and after taking the X-ray, we realized some decay was forming on the two sides of the tooth.
As you can see, there is open contact between this and the adjacent tooth, contributing to the fact that the patient’s tooth is decaying and that there was food impaction.
During his last visit, we removed the amalgam. When preparing the tooth, we realized direct filling was not an option as the extent of the cavity was beyond receiving a regular direct filling.
Therefore the next option would have been reinforced porcelain Onlays.
Once we clean the tooth, you see the dentin is caved and stained. This is the point we decided that the tooth no longer needs a direct filling but an Onlay.
We prepared the tooth for an Onlay, and today is the day of the delivery.
We ended up isolating the tooth, the tooth is adjacent to a canine, and the other was a rotated tooth, but look at the beautiful Onlay straight out after the cementation.
Here is the final result after we have polished and adjusted inclusion and applied sealer on it, and as you can see, it’s a perfect restoration. The contact is now closed and is no longer an open contact.
The patient loved it. I loved it. Congratulations!
Visit us at Royal Dental Practice to restore teeth function with Onlays.
Gone with the wind old black fillings – Royal Dental Practice
A successful Porcelain crown and porcelain onlay – Dr Roya Shoffet
This is how the tooth started day one, and the cavities were underneath the old amalgam fillings, and the patient had crack lines and all sort of a problem with it. We have prepared it, this a
model that you can actually see the model is prepared. Today is when we wanted to deliver it. We prepared the tooth, and it’s all in rubber – it’s all protected and this is the final result. If you have one of those ugly looking feelings which is probably 100 years old and nobody has ever attended to it, just give us a call i can make them look like new, and make them brand new too. It is unbelievable the result you cannot even detect the margins of the tooth previously versus the tooth now, and hopefully it will be a very successful and permanent restoration for this patient. Love to share it with you – have a great weekend!
