Inlays & Onlays
Inlays are used to repair damage or decay in the center of teeth between the cusps (raised portions of a tooth’s biting surface). Inlays are often a good solution for decay or cracks in teeth too deep to be repaired with a composite resin filling, but that have not yet reached the central, pulp layer of the tooth. When damage is deep in dental structure, composite resin may not be strong enough to hold the tooth together making a porcelain inlay the right solution.
Onlays are used when decay, chips, cracks, or other damage affects more than one surface of the tooth, but is not severe enough to require dental crown restoration. Onlays are often beneficial in repairing damaged teeth that were previously repaired with fillings. Amalgam fillings especially tend to break away from teeth over time, and an onlay may be a better option than removing additional dental structure to place a crown.
Dental Implants
A dental implant is an artificial tooth root made from noble grade titanium that is placed into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge. Dental implants may be an option for people who have lost a tooth or teeth due to periodontal disease, an injury or some other reason.
Dental implants allow for the replacement of missing teeth without preparing good adjacent teeth to make bridges. The dental profession has historically advocated the preservation of natural teeth and natural tooth structure. This concept is certainly upheld when using dental implants for tooth replacement. The need for removal of healthy tooth structure (enamel) has been eliminated by dental implant treatment.
Dental implants replace your missing teeth with new ones that look, feel, and perform and look just like the originals. Contact us to learn more!
Porcelain Crowns
When teeth have sustained significant damage, a dental crown can be used to preserve the remaining visible portion of the tooth and the underlying root structure. A crown completely covers the part of the tooth that remains protecting it from further damage. Crowns are also used to support a tooth following root canal therapy, and to replace one or more teeth as part of dental implant or crown and bridge tooth replacement.
Bridges
Your teeth work together to stay in the proper position. When one tooth is missing, your other teeth will be free to move, which can create alignment problems, gaps between other teeth, difficulty chewing, and more.
A porcelain bridge literally “bridges the gap” in your smile by using the neighboring teeth as the supportive structure for a porcelain tooth restoration. A porcelain tooth gets positioned between these crowns, giving you back your complete smile.