Dr. Apsey, Warren, MI Dentist, explains the difference between a crown and an inlay

Hi, I’m Doctor Gregory Apsey in Warren, Michigan. We hear a lot about cosmetic dentistry or aesthetic dentistry, and I wanted to talk a little bit about what we do here in our office in that regard. A lot of our patients really don’t want metal in their mouth, they don’t want metal showing. And when they smile, they want their teeth to look as natural as possible. So the dental industry, dentistry as a whole has addressed this, but here in our office, we’re really focusing on trying to go towards all porcelain restorations. Okay. And I just want to give you an example of 2 different types and educate you on what the difference between a crown and an inlay is.

So this right here is an all-porcelain crown. This is a patient whose tooth was pretty badly broken down. And the crown, I’m going to turn it over here. The crown is good because it inserts and holds together the tooth. So if it’s a tooth that’s had a root canal and it’s likely to break if the patient continues to chew on it. They need a full crown and, in many cases, this is how the crown fits on the tooth. But what’s nice is that this crown is all porcelain. So, there’s no metal to show, nothing dark at the gum line. Once that’s cemented into that patient’s tooth, that’s a very, very strong restoration. It’s going to last many, many years.

Not only will it last and hold the tooth together, but it’s also really beautiful and not noticeable at all, and will not be really noticeable down the road, either. Whereas a crown that has metal in it oftentimes as the gums, sometimes the gums will recede, and then we start to see this dark line at the gum line. And this crown just will never show that. This, here, is a different type, and this is almost like a large porcelain filling. So, if you take a look at this patient’s tooth, the tooth was pretty broken down, but this is what we call an inlay, was made, and once that’s in place, her teeth are a little bit dark, but the tooth is, the inlay’s made to match the color of the patient’s teeth. That will be bonded to the walls of this tooth and, again very strong, long-lasting restoration of that tooth. Very importantly, looks completely natural, and that’s what we are all about. We’re all about strength.

Dr. Apsey, Warren, MI Dentist, explains the difference between a crown and an inlay

Long lasting, beautiful teeth for our patients. Thank you. I hope you visit us some time here in Warren, Michigan. I’m Doctor Gregory Apsey discussing crowns and inlays. Thank you for listening.

Dr. Apsey, Warren, MI Dentist, explains the difference between a crown and an inlay