Dentistry

Modesto, Manteca, Ceres, Turlock, Salida, Ripon, California Dentist

Porcelain Dental Inlays/Onlays

Dental inlays and onlays are different from tooth colored fillings and dental crowns. They are larger than fillings, but smaller than crowns. A dental inlay lies between two ridges on a tooth, and a dental onlay covers more than one of these ridges. Porcelain inlays and onlays can be used to repair cracks in teeth or minor breaks in teeth that do not require a full crown.

Why Use Porcelain?

Porcelain is a material commonly used in cosmetic dentistry. A porcelain dental repair can more closely match the color and translucency of a tooth than a composite repair can. Even though dental inlays and onlays are used almost exclusively on back teeth, when you speak or laugh, these teeth are still visible. For that reason, many people prefer porcelain dental inlays or onlays.

Applying Porcelain Inlays and Onlays

One of our Modesto family dentists will first use a local anesthetic to numb the tooth he or she will be working on. If the inlay or onlay is covering a cavity, the cavity is first cleaned, as is the surface the onlay or inlay is being affixed to.

Once the surface of the tooth is cleaned, we will take a digital image of the tooth and using CEREC technology, we will create your dental inlay or onlay out of porcelain. The inlay or onlay is then cemented to your tooth and polished to be flush with the rest of the tooth’s surface.

Porcelain inlays and onlays cannot repair every kind of damage to teeth. If too much of a tooth is broken off, a dental crown will be used to cover the remaining tooth, or if a tooth is missing, it can be replaced by a dental implant.

If you think you may be a candidate for dental inlays and onlays, please contact the experienced Modesto family dentists at Sierra Dental Care today to schedule an appointment. We serve patients in Modesto, Manteca, Turlock, Salida, Ripon, Ceres, and the surrounding area in California.