Restorations

Cerec Inlays and Onlays

An excellent way to restore teeth with small to moderate decay.

The Problem:

• Any level of decay on a portion of any tooth
• Need for a long-term, durable restoration
• Desire to limit the amount of healthy tooth structure removed
• Need to strengthen and reinforce tooth

The Solution:

Decay is removed and the tooth is prepared for scanning. Once scanned, a 3 dimensional image is created of the prepared tooth and an inlay is designed on the cerec machine to fit precisely into the cavity. Once designed, the inlay or overlay is milled from a block of porcelain. This inlay or onlay is then cemented into the prepared surface of the tooth.

An inlay covers only one or two surfaces of the tooth and is used to restore a small amount of decay. An onlay actually covers one or more cusps (the chewing surface of the tooth.)

Advantages:

Cerec porcelain offers a fine alternative to other tooth restoration materials. Made to perfectly match the shade and shape of your teeth, it's durable, it's strong, and it's virtually undetectable.

Cerec porcelain is the most tooth like material we have with regards to it’s wear characteristics. This means it is unlikely to wear the opposing teeth as do some other porcelains. This makes it the best longterm restorative material we can offer you.

Cerec inlays and onlays are incredibly strong due to the fact that they are milled from a solid block of ceramic. This protects the tooth from fracturing and actually strengthens the tooth. In addition, cerec inlays and onlays fit almost perfectly into the prepared surface of the tooth, reducing the size of the seam between the restoration and the tooth. This helps keep decay from eventually occurring under the restoration.

Cerec inlays and onlays require the preparation of only decayed or fractured areas of the tooth, leaving more healthy tooth structure intact. This can help prevent the expense of root canal therapy in the future.

Disadvantages:

Due to the fact that they are crafted by a state of the art computerised lathe cerec inlays and onlays require a greater initial investment than regular fillings. However, in the long run, cerec inlays and onlays are a better investment than fillings due to their extremely long life and highly accurate fit. Cerec and gold inlays and onlays generally have a greater long term durability than conventional porcelain inlays and onlays.

Alternatives:

In cases of extensive decay, crowns (cerec or lab made) are the only alternative.