With a porcelain onlay, do dentists need to grind away a "good amount" of the tooth ('healthy enamel') or just the cavity and affected area of the tooth?
2007-02-18 15:18:51 · 2 answers · asked by BERNARDO B 1 in Health ➔ Dental
A porcelain onlay will take away more healthy tooth than a composite (tooth colored) filling material. A porcelain onlay has to be prepared in such a way that it won't fall off, and this is at the expense of tooth structure. The upside is that it is much stronger than a composite filling, because it helps hold the tooth together. It is also more conservative than another alternative: a full crown, which will take away even more tooth. The major issue is the size of the filling and the remaining strength of the tooth. Your dentist has a better grasp of that than I do. A porcelain onlay is significantly more expensive than a plain old composite filling, but sometimes it is necessary if the cavity were especially large. Hope that helps.
2007-02-18 15:38:56 · answer #1 · answered by BC 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
don't forget that porcelain fillings are basically glass and just like glass, they tend to break.
2007-02-22 06:23:55 · answer #2 · answered by toothacres 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋