A dental onlay is a restoration that sits on top of a tooth, covering the biting surface and at least one of its cusps.
Introduction to Inlays and Onlays
Dental onlays and overlays are dental restorations that address moderate damage with the chewing surface and cusps of a tooth. They are custom-made restorations that are made in a dental laboratory and fitted at a second appointment.
With our onlays and overlays, we aim to layer the tooth to mimic the compromised tooth structure. This biomimetic process means your new restoration will be as close to a tooth as it is possible to be. The materials we use mimic dentin and enamel and are reinforced to help protect your teeth from damage such as cracks and erosion.
Examination
Your dentist will examine your tooth, taking X-rays and digital scans to obtain a mould used by the dental technician to create your restoration. We diagnose the extent of the damage using state-of-the-art technology that returns a comprehensive analysis of your tooth’s condition. Using this, we can employ a biomimetic approach to creating your restoration.
Creating your Onlay or Overlay
The dental technician will create your restoration, matching it to the exact shade of your teeth. Your dentist will have briefed the dental technician on the materials to use, based on discussions with you at a previous appointment. We use biomimetic materials wherever possible.
Fitting your Onlay or Overlay
Your onlay or overlay is fitted under local anaesthetic. If you are a bit anxious about this appointment, we can administer oral or IV sedation to help settle your nerves.
When you choose Lakewood Dental for your cosmetic dental treatment, you are putting your oral care in the hands of professionals who truly love what they do. We love the care and marriage of science and craftsmanship that accompanies planning dental onlay and overlay cases.
Most of all, we love to see the confidence and improved sense of well-being that our patients feel when they have their chewing, biting, and smiling faculties restored.
We believe in continuously finding treatment methods that make life easier for our patients. Ultimately, making our patients happy is the foundation of what we do and why we do what we do.
We employ biomimetic principles when carrying out restorative dentistry for our valued patients. Biomimetic dentistry is simply the concept of creating restorations that mimic nature as closely as possible. We are one of the few practices in the country to approach our restoration creation in this way, and our patients love the results.
A dental onlay is a restoration that sits on top of a tooth, covering the biting surface and at least one of its cusps.
A dental overlay is a highly restorative restoration, created in the dental laboratory by our experienced technician.
Also referred to as a partial crown, an onlay reconstructs the central chewing surface, cusps, and lateral surfaces of the affected tooth (a crown covers the lateral surfaces in their entirety all the way down to the gum line).
Fillings are considered when minor to moderate damage has occurred (generally up to 40%). Whilst fillings are a direct restoration which can usually be applied in a single visit, onlays and overlays are indirect as they are created in the dental laboratory and fitted at a second appointment. Dentists will consider onlays and overlays when the damage to your tooth exceeds 40%.
Ultimately, our role as dentists is to explore the options that preserve your tooth as much as possible. We will only ever consider options such as crowns (which involve the removal of some tooth structure) if we are certain the issue cannot be resolved with a filling, onlay or overlay.
