Enough with the Crowns Already! How about an Inlay?!

A: It seems like every time a tooth needs fixing, it always needs a crown. I hate the idea that my tooth is being drilled down to a stump and capped. Is there not a less aggressive alternative?

B: This topic was covered at our last FREE seminar to the public on January 28th, 2022, as well as how I became a dentist because of a 1970’s TV sitcom and how my first job at an enema factory taught me many life lessons; including how one should never work in an enema factory.

When a tooth is chock full of decay or old fillings, we often need to remove the diseased parts of the tooth, build up a foundation with composites called a core, and then reduce the tooth by one millimeter 360 degrees and the top. This creates the cylinder shape tooth preparation, which will be covered by a porcelain or gold crown.

Ask your doctor to consider a porcelain inlay. We only remove the weak parts of the tooth, and then stop. We then use a digital scanner, no gagging goop-like molds, to send a 3D image to a hi-tech lab will robotic milling machines will create a custom inlay that is cemented in place, replacing the parts of the weak parts of the tooth previously drilled away.

Advantages of inlays vs. crowns: Easier to clean with floss and brushing, less chance of gum recession, less post op sensitivity, less chance for a need for root canal, less chair time, preserves more of the healthy tooth structure and will not change the esthetic appearance of the tooth.

Editor’s Note: Drop us an email to be on our invite list to our next FREE seminar to the public.