Have you ever heard of dental onlays?  Most people haven’t.  But they are a great tool for restoring teeth to normal function and natural beauty.

Here’s how it works.  A tooth is broken or an old filling needs to be replaced, but most of the tooth structure is still sound.  Its always best to keep what God gave you.  So a dental onlay is the answer.  All the old and broken material is removed and the remaining tooth structure is shaped to hold a ‘new piece.’  An impression is taken of the space and the natural bite is measured.  There are some options for the choice of material to be used.  You can place gold or porcelain.  So if you want a continual white and natural appearance, porcelain is your product.  In this case, the color of the natural tooth structure is carefully recorded so a match to the porcelain materials can be made.  A temporary filling is placed.

The lab will mold the onlay and in as little as a few days, the custom piece is sent to the office.  The patient returns to the office and the temporary filling is removed.  The tooth surface will be prepared to ‘grab’ the onlay and a cement will be applied to ensure a secure seal.  The dental onlay is placed and the tooth looks natural, like nothing ever happened.