Fix what is broken. Keep the rest.

An onlay repairs only the damaged part of a tooth, so the healthy walls stay yours. Less drilling, more natural enamel, and a restoration that becomes part of the tooth. Keeping your natural tooth is the whole point.

Book Appointment Onlay or crown?

Digital scan, no trays Keeps more natural tooth Matched to your shade

Ceramic dental onlay at mend dental in Irvine, CA

Repairs only what needs repairingCeramic, metal-free

When a filling is too small and a crown is too much

When Dr. Sison reaches for an onlay.

Most damaged teeth land in the middle: too far gone for a filling, but with plenty of healthy tooth left. A crown would remove all of it. An onlay saves it.

1 A large cavityWhen a filling would be so big the remaining walls turn thin and brittle.

2 A failing old fillingThe filling has cracked or leaked, taking part of the tooth with it, but the rest is sound.

3 A broken corner or cuspOne chewing point has fractured off and needs to be rebuilt in something more durable than composite.

4 Worn chewing surfacesGrinding has flattened the top of a molar. An onlay rebuilds the surface without cutting the sides.

5 Instead of a crownWhenever there is enough healthy tooth to bond to, an onlay is the more conservative option.

Onlay or crown?

Same goal. Different amount of tooth.

Onlay

Covers the damage.

Bonded onto the broken part only. The healthy walls of your tooth stay untouched. Our first choice when there is enough tooth to bond to.

Keeps more tooth2 visitsLab-made ceramic

Crown

Covers everything.

A cap over the whole tooth above the gum. Stronger when the tooth is cracked through, root-canaled, or has little healthy structure left.

Maximum protection2 visitsMetal-free ceramic

Digital 3D scan for a dental onlay at mend dental

No impression trays

How it works

Two visits, and the healthy part stays.

1Numb and cleanThe tooth is numbed, decay and old filling are removed, and only the damaged area is shaped.
2Digital scanAn iTero Lumina scan sends the exact shape to the lab. No trays.
3TemporaryA temporary protects the tooth while the ceramic onlay is made.
4Bond it inAbout two weeks later the onlay is checked for fit and color, then bonded. It becomes part of the tooth.

Why Mend

Less drilling. More tooth for you.

Every onlay is lab-made ceramic, shade-matched in natural light and bonded to the tooth so the two act as one. Compared with a crown, it means less drilling, more of your own enamel, and a tooth that stays closer to the way nature built it.

Conservative by design. Healthy enamel stays. That is the reason we choose onlays.
Lab-made ceramic. Far more durable than a large composite filling in the same spot.
Digital impressions. No trays, no gagging, better fit.
Shade-matched by eye. Dr. Sison checks the color against your teeth in daylight before it is bonded.
Bonded, not cemented. The onlay fuses to the tooth, so the two act as one piece.

Shade-matching a ceramic onlay to natural teeth

Before and after a ceramic dental crown at mend dental

Cost and payment

You will know the price before we start.

Onlay costs depend on the tooth and the material. After your exam you get a written estimate. Most PPO plans cover a portion of onlays. We verify your benefits, tell you exactly what yours covers before you decide, and payment plans are available through Sunbit, Cherry and HFD.

mend dental serves Irvine, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and Tustin from our office near UCI and John Wayne Airport. Cracked a tooth today? See our emergency page and call us.

Related services

Dental Crowns Dental Fillings Our Philosophy Restorative Dentistry

From our patients

The conservative option, explained

Onlay questions, answered.

A custom ceramic piece bonded onto the damaged part of a tooth. Unlike a crown, it covers only what needs covering and leaves the healthy walls of your tooth alone.

If enough healthy tooth remains, Dr. Sison prefers an onlay because it keeps more of your natural tooth. If the tooth is cracked through or has very little healthy structure left, a crown covers and protects all of it. She will show you on the scan.

Fillings only work when enough healthy tooth remains to hold them. Once a filling gets too large, the remaining walls are thin and crack under chewing. An onlay is made in a lab from ceramic, which holds up far better than composite over a large area.

Most PPO plans cover a portion of onlays. We verify your benefits, tell you exactly what your plan covers, and give you a written estimate before you decide.

Usually two. At the first we remove the decay, take a digital scan and place a temporary. About two weeks later the ceramic onlay is bonded in.

No. The tooth is numbed while the decay is removed and scanned. Mild sensitivity for a few days afterward is normal.

With normal home care and regular checkups, many years. We check it at every exam.

A damaged tooth is usually saveable. Let's take a look.

An exam, a clear explanation on screen, and a written estimate before anything starts.

Book Appointment

(949) 251-0011 Book Appointment