Crowns, Veneers, Onlays, Inlays…where can I learn more about what these things mean?
With today’s technology, materials, and advanced techniques, we have many options for restoring weak, broken, chipped, discolored, and/or crooked teeth…bringing them back to their original shape and function. By principle, we’ll typically recommend the most conservative of these options. First, for large decayed or damaged chewing areas requiring restoration, we can apply a protective covering/filling or “onlay” made of porcelain, thereby adding strength and preventing decay. If you need fillings, we use porcelain ‘inlays’ or composite tooth-colored fillings instead of silver amalgam… actually strengthening the tooth and protecting it against further fracture. For larger areas of decay or for cracked or broken teeth, we can apply an all-porcelain crown, somewhat like a thimble or ‘cap’, that covers the entire outside of the problem tooth. Crowns are also helpful to cover large areas of decay after they’ve been filled. Similarly, we can restore cracked, discolored, crooked or otherwise
