Monday, March 22, 2010

Advantages of Resin Onlays

There was a time that silver amalgam was the primary method of restoring damaged or decayed portions of your teeth. In fact, you probably have silver amalgam fillings in your mouth now. However, you do not have to continue getting them, nor do you even have to keep them.

Resin onlays are a much better alternative to amalgam fillings for a number of reasons.

Amalgams are not very attractive because they are glaringly visible. They also expand and contract with temperature changes, sometimes causing teeth to crack. Amalgam fillings can fracture as they age, and this breaks their protective seal. The tooth is once again vulnerable to decay as a result. Once this happens, the tooth will need to be crowned, and this will cost you more money.

Metal in your amalgam fillings can also cause you to get gray stains on your teeth and gums. However, the good news is that resign onlays can provide a safer and much more cost effective alternative to all of this.

Resin onlays bond directly and tightly to the natural tooth structure. This restores your tooth to almost all of its original strength. The actual bonding process requires only a tiny fraction of original tooth mass to be removed—far less than that required to fill your tooth with silver-mercury amalgam.

By minimizing the amount of natural tooth matter that is lost, dentists are able to keep your teeth in much better shape. They are much stronger, and much less likely to crack or break. The chances of you needing to spend more money on a dental crown further down the line are thereby greatly reduced.

Resin onlays are also much better for your gums. Their margins are placed above the gum line and therefore do not irritate gum tissue. Also, they contain fluoride, which helps prevent tooth decay that can sometimes occur at the edges of traditional fillings.

Health benefits aren’t the only thing you receive from these great cosmetic tooth restorations. You also get the added attraction factor of a restoration that matches the identical color of your teeth. Onlays blend right in with the color of existing enamel and cannot be noticed by the average person when you smile.

Whether you replace just one or all of your fillings with resin onlays, you'll be amazed at their natural, beautiful appearance, and you'll be delighted by the difference they'll make in your smile.

It normally takes two dental visits to make resin onlays. During the first visit, molded impressions are taken of the tooth and sent to a dental laboratory. Here, the restoration is custom fabricated to match the tooth.

When you return for your second visit, the onlay is placed on your tooth and bonded in place.

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