Robert O. Kron D.M.D. and Scott R. Williams D.M.D.
970-351-6095
admin@drkron.com
Dental Enhancements
Placing a Porcelain Inlay
The size and shape of a porcelain inlay is like a silver filling, but the process of making a porcelain inlay is more like making a crown.
It will take two or more appointments to restore your tooth with an inlay. That's because it is custom-crafted in a dental laboratory to precisely fit your tooth.
To make the entire procedure comfortable for you, the affected area is numbed with a local anesthetic.
Depending on the size of the filling and the tooth being worked on, a rubber dam may be used. It functions like a safety net, preventing debris from falling to the back of your throat.
Then the decay is removed, and the tooth is shaped with the handpiece.
Impressions give an accurate working model of your mouth, including the prepared tooth. This helps re-create your natural bite.
Sometimes, to make a more accurate impression, your dentist puts a small piece of string in the space between the tooth and the gums. This gently pushes the gums away from the tooth.
For the week or two that it takes the dental lab to fabricate your new porcelain inlay, you'll have a temporary inlay in your mouth. At your next visit, the temporary inlay is removed, and you'll try out your new porcelain inlay.
Then your dentist checks the bite with a colored tape, which indicates where your teeth are coming together, and floss is placed between the teeth to make sure there are no tight spots. When everything looks good, your new porcelain inlay is cemented in place.
Porcelain inlays are among the finest quality dental restorations available.