Porcelain inlays and onlays for combined esthetics and durability of posterior teeth this material is hard to beat. What is an inlay and onlay? Basically, they are restorations that are larger than your typical filling, but not large enough to warrant placing an entire crown on the tooth. Inlays and Onlays were usually fabricated by a lab in the past but with the addition of our CEREC machine we can typically construct a restoration in the same appointment. Once the restoration is designed and made, it is cemented in place with a resin. The cementation of this restoration gives porcelain an advantage over amalgam in that it supports remaining tooth structure with the adhesive, where amalgam is mechanically wedged into spaces created in the preparation and basically fills a hole. Porcelain has an advantage over composite restorations in that it does not flex more than your natural tooth structure so it has better durability. Porcelain chemically and physically is the closest material we have to natural tooth structure. Gold inlays and onlays, although definately not the most esthetic option, is still widely recognized as one of the best restorative materials in dentistry after one hundred plus years of use. The advantage is in golds ability to be cast in extreme detail. It tends to seal the smallest voids and spaces better than any other material. The smaller the voids around the restoration the less chance bacteria have of causing further decay around that restoration. Gold restorations are also bonded with a resin adhesive, so as porcelain, supports the remaining tooth structure. If you are looking for the best in durability, gold is difficult to beat. |