Onlays.

A large hole or fracture in your tooth can weaken it considerably, and a filling is sometimes not enough to protect the tooth and restore its strength. If this is the case for your tooth, an Onlay is usually a better, more long term and protective option.

Onlays are similar to dental Crowns, but are less destructive and preserve more of your natural tooth structure. They are intended to replicate the natural contours of teeth and act to protect and restore the tooth back to its original strength.

An Onlay is either made externally by one of our skilled lab technicians or using our same day CEREC machine (follow the link for more information), and it is cemented in place.

Onlays are intended to replicate the natural contours of teeth and act to protect and restore the tooth back to its original strength. Most commonly we use natural tooth coloured porcelain Onlays, but there are other options which may be better suited to you. Your dentist will discuss which option would be best for you.

There are numerous advantages in using Onlays, including:

• Minimal tooth reduction

• Strength restored to your tooth

• Flawless aesthetics. By their very nature they blend right in complementing the surrounding teeth.

A very broken-down tooth or one with a large filling is weak and can have as little as only 17% resistance against fracturing and breaking.

An Onlay can restore its fracture resistance back up to 95%, and their average life span is 97% survival at 10 years. What’s not to love!