Crowns, Bridges and Onlays

A dental crown treats a single tooth and sits on and around the tooth. The crown is just like a helmet over the tooth to cover the whole tooth and prevent fractures from running through the tooth. At Willow Dental Care, a dental crown is made of a hard ceramic or zirconia material and colour-matched to your natural teeth. This material is stronger and more protective of the underlying tooth than filling material. Some of our patients call this a 'cap' on their tooth. 

Your crown in Baulkham Hills, at our Hills District dental clinic, typically takes two appointments. The tooth has to be carefully reshaped and prepared with precision and care to make room for the protective material. Your dentist then takes a scan or impression of the tooth so that the crown can be constructed in an Australian laboratory by excellent dental technicians and ceramists who take pride in their work. While this is being made for you, we'll provide a temporary crown to serve as a temporary replacement for a few weeks. 

Older crowns were made with porcelain fused to metal, and over time, some people find that the metal margin will start to show. These crowns also have a solid look to them. 

Over our years of experience in dentistry, we have seen these older crowns fail. And when they fail, it can be catastrophic. The crown that snaps off, including the small amount of remaining tooth, sometimes cannot be fixed at all. This is where an onlay could be a better choice for your future or a modern crown a big improvement for your smile.

What Is an Onlay?

An onlay is similar to a crown in that it covers the cusps and biting surface of the tooth with a hard ceramic (called lithium disilicate or Emax). With new adhesive technology, at Willow Dental Care, we can preserve more of your existing tooth. An onlay is much smaller than a crown. We consider it a minimally invasive option and will conserve more of your own tooth. An onlay might be more appropriate for your situation. 

We invite you to book an appointment for an onlay or to call us for more information. 

Where we can, we prefer to keep as much of your tooth as possible. The strength of the tooth is generally in maintaining as much of the integrity of the tooth’s original structure. An onlay means less removal of tooth structure. The tooth coloured ceramic blends seamlessly with your own tooth.

An onlay can last as long as a crown. However, when the forces or issues in your mouth cause a crown to break, the broken-down tooth might not be fixable. A breakage in an onlay is typically repairable or replaceable.

Australian Teamwork with Laboratory Standards

For both crowns and onlays, the scan is sent to our Australian laboratory to make the custom crown. Willow Dental Care uses only trusted Australian dental technicians, and our technicians are a valued part of our team. After years of dentistry in Sydney, we know who we like to work with and whose skills and expertise we can trust.

At every point, we and our technicians are designing quality restorations to ensure your tooth's long-term durability. Modern ceramics have a much more life-like look to them and shine in the light in a similar manner to a natural tooth structure. Achieving a perfectly matched look happens when these are handmade by our expert technicians, who we love to work with for their great attention to detail. 

At Willow Dental Care in Baulkham Hills, we will talk through your options and the advantages and disadvantages of each. The option we recommend will be designed for the best longevity for the tooth. Reasoning can include pending signs of fracture or aesthetics and the size and location of the past decay or damage to the tooth.

We are happy to take the time to explain, discuss and answer your questions. If the time is not right for you to have your crown or onlay right away, we will endeavour to find solutions that can keep the tooth stable until the recommended treatment can be performed.

Ready to find a solution? We welcome your call to Willow Dental Care to learn more about your crown or onlay options. Our number is 02 8610 6697.