Crowns & Onlays

Treatments / Crowns & Onlays

If you have a badly broken down tooth, a crown or onlay can help protect what is left of your tooth and increase its lifespan.

* For the purpose of brevity, when referring to 'crowns' this term also relates to onlays too.

SEVEN factors that may indicate a need for a cuspal protection restoration:

Reduced amount of remaining tooth structure (less than 50%)
Loss of marginal ridge (wall of the tooth)
Loss of cusp(s)
High load bearing area (e.g. molar tooth further back in the mouth)
Tooth has undergone Root Canal Treatment
Position of the margins (not accessible / cleansable if direct restoration provided)
To improve aesthetics (discoloured tooth or rotated)

If one (or more) of these factors is present, a crown/onlay may be indicated.

A Crown covers the whole part of your tooth that can be seen above your gumline

An Onlay is basically a short crown, that covers the biting surface of your tooth, preserving more of your natural tooth tissue

An Inlay is similar to a filling, but it is made in a dental lab

The most commonly used materials are:

Porcelain (Lithium Disilicate, Zirconia, Feldspathic) - a semi translucent material which closely mimics natural tooth
Porcelain fused to metal - Porcelain over a base layer of metal
Gold
Non Precious Metal

After a 3D scan or impression has been taken, the turnaround time in a dental lab is normally 1-2 weeks

However, some dentists offer a service for same day crowns... see next question

This is a facilty where dentists have an on site CAD/CAM milling machine to make dental crowns.

After preparing your tooth for a crown, a dentist takes a 3D scan of your teeth.

The dentist designs your crown, then sends it to be manufactured on the CAD/CAM milling machine, whilst you have a short wait.

The finished crown is then cemented in your mouth.

This entire process can be completed in around 2 hours.

Google Sites

Report abuse