Porcelain restorations are natural looking, tooth-coloured restorations that are superior in quality and much stronger in comparison to the tooth-coloured composite fillings. The porcelain restorations are cemented onto the teeth, allowing for a very strong long-term solution and superior aesthetics.

When is a Porcelain restoration the preferred restoration?

• When extensive damage to a tooth occurs leaving the tooth with minimal natural tooth structure.
• A heavily restored tooth that can no longer support a dental filling.
• Root canal treated teeth – to protect the remaining tooth structure from fracturing.
• To replace missing teeth in the form of a porcelain bridge or a porcelain crown on an implant.

About Crowns, Bridges, Inlays and Onlays.

Your dentist will help you to choose the best porcelain restoration that will suit your needs by assessing multiple factors such as the size of the restoration, extent of tooth damage, location in the mouth and biting forces applied to the area.
The following porcelain restorations may be used to repair your tooth if a dental filling is not an option.

Crowns:

Crowns are permanent restorations that are cemented onto existing teeth or placed on a dental implant. 0.5mm-1mm of tooth structure (usually only enamel) is shaved off with a dental hand piece to allow space for the porcelain to cover the tooth.
Crowns are used most commonly to entirely cover or “cap” a damaged tooth or dental implant.
Crowns usually require two visits, but we offer the convenience of same-day dental crowns at Eminent Dental Wellness.

Bridges:

If you are missing one or more teeth, a bridge can be used to fill the gap(s).
A bridge gets cemented onto natural anchor teeth or implants on both sides of the space.
One of the disadvantages of a bridge is that at least the two teeth next to the area where a tooth has been lost, need to be prepared. The anchor teeth next to the gap are prepared the same way as for a crown preparation. Its better to use a bridge if the teeth on both sides have large fillings. If no fillings are present, dental implants are the treatment of choice to replace missing teeth.

Inlays:

Dental inlays are porcelain restorations that fill the space in between the cusps of the teeth.
Inlays are indicated when additional strength is needed that a dental filling cannot provide.
Compared to a crown, less tooth structure is removed, making dental inlays a more conservative restoration.

Onlays:

Similar to dental inlays, dental onlays cover one or more cusps of the entire biting surface of the tooth. Onlays are also commonly known as “partial crowns” due to the extensive tooth coverage and the last option before a crown.
Similar to crowns and bridges, both inlays and onlays are permanently cemented onto the tooth surface.