Porcelain Fillings
in Buffalo, Amherst, Lancaster and Orchard Park, NY
There was a time when your only choice to fill a cavity was the old gray metal fillings. Today if you need a filling, there are more choices. Dr. Evola offers his Buffalo, NY patients white composite fillings and porcelain fillings. Whereas metal fillings were compressed into the cavity tightly enough to keep them from falling out, porcelain fillings are bonded to the tooth, and become part of it.
Types of Porcelain Fillings
There are two types of porcelain fillings, inlays and onlays. Inlays are smaller, and contained within the cusps of the tooth. Onlays are done for larger areas of decay and extend over to the outside surface of the tooth.
Advantages of inlays and onlays
- With inlays and onlays, more of your natural tooth can be preserved, since the porcelain will be bonded to the tooth, rather than packed into a space.
- The porcelain is color-matched to your natural tooth so it's hardly noticeable. Both inlays and onlays will join invisibly with your natural tooth enamel and look like part of your tooth.
- Metal fillings require more of the natural tooth to be drilled out, even if it isn't decayed so that the space will be a good shape to hold the amalgam, or metal filling.
- Metals fillings weaken the tooth because they expand and contract with the temperature of things in your mouth. Porcelain fillings strengthen the tooth, because they're bonded to it and hold it together.
The procedure
Porcelain fillings typically take two visits to our office.
- During the first appointment, the damaged or decayed area is very precisely removed and an impression, or mold, is taken of the tooth. The mold is sent off to a dental lab, which will fabricate the onlay or inlay from porcelain materials.
- At your second visit, Dr. Evola will bond the inlay or onlay onto the damaged tooth. While this procedure sounds simple, it requires great skill to do it correctly. Dr. Evola is highly trained and experienced in the art and science of porcelain inlays and onlays.
If you suspect that you need a new filling or you have old metal fillings that need to be replaced, call or email the Forestream Dental Group today. We'll be happy to schedule an appointment for your procedure or if you need more information first, we can schedule a complimentary consultation for porcelain fillings with Dr. Evola. We're conveniently located in the Buffalo, New York area and provide all types of restorative dentistry services.
Creating Smiles and Changing Lives. Every Day.
4711 Transit Road, Forestream Village
Depew, NY 14043
E-mail Us • (716)656-8686
