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Dental Crowns and Onlays

Whether your tooth is chipped or seriously cracked, we have a treatment that can solve your problem. Dental crowns and dental onlays help us repair teeth with different levels of damage. Dental onlays help us patch up a mildly damaged tooth to improve its appearance and prevent future damage, and dental crowns can actually save a more seriously damaged tooth and restore it to full functionality giving you back your beautiful smile and your self-confidence.

Dental Inlay And Onlay Procedures

What are dental onlays?  Dr. Peter Ngai and Dr. Penny Phipps prefer to practice minimally invasive dentistry whenever possible such as dental onlays and onlays procedures. The onlay dental procedure provides a conservative approach to repairing damaged teeth that allows us to preserve more of your tooth than dental crowns do.  Please discuss with the dentist, the onlay versus crown options.  Like dental crowns, dental onlays are created in a dental lab after we take impressions of your teeth. Unlike dental crowns, dental onlays only require the removal of the damaged portion of your tooth.

Dental onlays are an excellent choice for treating:

  • Cavities along the biting surface of your tooth

  • Cavities that extend between your teeth

  • Chips that are causing changes to your bite or sensitivity in your tooth

  • Damage in teeth that affects the aesthetics of your smile

  • Weak areas of your teeth

Porcelain onlays are designed to fit over the damaged portion of your teeth and blend into the tooth structure. The only people who will know you’ve had restorative work done on your teeth are you and the members of our dental team.

Caring for Your Crowns and Onlays

Dental crowns and dental onlays fit perfectly with your own teeth and only require the same care as you would provide your natural teeth. Continue your regular brushing and flossing routine as directed by Elk Grove dentists Dr. Ngai and Dr. Phipps, and visit us for your twice yearly examinations and two to four cleanings every year.  If you have an older dental crown or a tooth crown that has become loose, we can repair or replace it or discuss different options. To schedule an appointment to discuss dental crowns or dental onlays, please call our office today.

Types of Dental Crowns & What Are Dental Crowns?

Dental crowns are more invasive than dental onlays and require the removal of more of your tooth in order for them to fit properly.  In some cases, they are the most appropriate solution.  If the structure of your tooth is significantly weakened by decay or extensive filling, which can occur with root canal therapy, or if your tooth is cracked or broken, a crown may be your best chance of saving a tooth.  We can discuss with you the different types of dental bridges or crowns that would suit your budget and needs. Dental crowns are also used in dental implant restoration. This is a solution for teeth that are broken or decayed beyond repair or have already been lost. An oral surgeon or periodontist implants a special post made of titanium where the tooth used to be, and then a crown is secured to the post to fill in the missing tooth.  The technology that goes into making dental crowns has improved significantly in the past few years. Previously, crowns and other restorations were easily identified by the dark marking they created at the gum line. Today’s crowns are available in materials that no longer leave that distinctive line. All you can see with modern crowns is a mouthful of beautiful, white, flawless teeth.

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