For damage that is past a filling but short of a crown. Custom-made outside the mouth, then bonded in.
There are cases where the damage to a tooth is too extensive to be held by a simple filling, but the full coverage of a crown is not necessary and would mean removing sound tooth to fit it. In those cases an inlay or an onlay is the conservative answer.
An inlay sits in the centre of the chewing surface, inside the raised points of the tooth. Once it is bonded in, the tooth looks natural and works normally again.
An onlay is sometimes called a partial crown. It is identical to an inlay except that one or more of the cusps, the raised points of the tooth, are included in the restoration. Onlays are a good way to restore natural teeth that carry large failing fillings or have been damaged by decay, without going to a full crown.
Both are known as indirect fillings, because they are made outside the mouth and then bonded to the tooth. They last a long time and do not ask much of you in maintenance.
Because our laboratory is in the building, the fit can be checked and adjusted without a second courier run.
Call the practice, or send a note and we will call you back the same working day. Saturday appointments, free parking, and the Metro‑North platform two minutes away.