Dental Onlay for Damaged Teeth - Advantages and Risks

What is a Dental Onlay?

A dental onlay is a type of dental implant. It is used to help strengthen and stabilize damaged cusps on cuspids, bicuspids and molars. If the cusp on any of these teeth is damaged due to a cavity or other types of decay, an onlay may be bonded to the tooth to help prevent further damage.

What does a Dental Onlay do?

A dental onlay is designed to be used when the fracturing or other damage to a tooth is extensive, but not so severe that the condition indicates the complete grinding down or removal of the cusps to be replaced with a crown. Therefore, the prime purpose of a dental onlay is to stabilize and protect the remaining viable portions of the tooth.

What are the advantages of a Dental Onlay over other procedures?

A dental onlay is uniquely well suited to serving the needs of cusps on teeth. It should be distinguished from an inlay, which serves a very similar function but on teeth that do not have cusps. The dental onlay is also advantageous over a crown because it helps to preserve as much of the original tooth material as possible. Dental onlays are bonded directly to the tooth and in such a manner that they allow for little to no opportunity for further damage to that part of the tooth.

Who is a candidate for Dental Onlay?

Dental onlays are typically only provided to adult patients, or to adolescent patients for whom the adult teeth have fully grown in and are done shifting around in the mouth. Dental onlays are not common in children.

What does the Dental Onlay procedure consist of?

The dental onlay procedure will be indicated during a standard checkup or tooth cleaning, when a cavity is discovered in the affected area. In a followup appointment at the dentist's office, the affected part of the mouth and jawline will be covered with plaster to create a unique model. The fabricator will use that model to create the onlay for the patient. After the fit of the onlay is confirmed in that patient's mouth, the onlay will be bonded to the tooth using a dental cement and polished down to fit into the mouth properly.

What is the recovery like?

Most patients experience some type of increased sensitivity after receiving an onlay. The most common sensitivity is to especially hot or cold foods and drinks. The recovery is otherwise minimal, and little to no special treatment is necessary after the onlay has been properly bonded to the surface of the tooth.

What are the risks?

There are few if any risks to a dental onlay procedure when performed correctly. The dental onlay leaves the patient no more susceptible to infection or secondary disease than the real tooth would, and it helps to prevent future damage. The only disadvantage to dental onlays is the higher cost that they have over other types of similar treatments.