Even if you fastidiously brush and floss your teeth, you could end up with a tooth that is broken, cracked, decayed or otherwise needs fixing. Your answer for tooth repair might be a dental overlay or, if the tooth is too far gone or missing altogether, you could opt for a dental implant.
Definition
Dental implants and dental overlays are two different methods for repairing or restoring teeth, explains the American Dental Association, or ADA. Dental implants involve surgically placing a tooth directly into an empty tooth socket. Dental overlays, also called dental inlays or onlays, repair a broken or destroyed part of an existing tooth by placing a reparative substance over, in or on the affected tooth to replace the part of the tooth that is missing.
Characteristics
Both procedures give patients a natural look, notes the ADA, if that’s what the patient wants. Dental implants use either a real tooth or a fake tooth made to look authentic, and the different versions of overlays also often use porcelain made to match the color and appearance of your tooth. Porcelain overlays are more durable and natural looking than the traditional metal fillings, and are usually chosen for larger restorations. Gold overlays are another option.
Permanence
Dental implants are meant to be permanent, while the various versions of overlays are usually not, notes the ADA. Dental implants eventually fuse to your jawbone to create a stable, fixed tooth replacement. Overlays, which sometimes require the gutting out of the existing tooth, often eventually need to be replaced. Their replacement sometimes stems from a crack or other problem with the existing tooth, or the overlay can fall out altogether.
Procedure
Dental implants involve surgery and a series of visits, while dentists sometimes do overlays in single session, states the My Teeth website. Implants start with either one or two surgeries to place an anchor and post in your jaw, followed by a few office visits to fit the artificial tooth. You’ll also need several months between the initial surgeries and the fitting to let your jaw bone grow and stabilize the anchor. Overlays and their versions involve the dentist drilling out the broken or decayed portion of the existing tooth, then overlaying, inlaying or onlaying the liquefied substance which dries and hardens into the final product.
Candidates
Not everyone’s mouth is fit for either procedure, notes the ADA. If you want implants, you must have healthy gums and a healthy jaw bone into which the implant can be surgically affixed. If you're considering an overlay, you must still have a substantial part of an existing tooth that is not cracked, decayed or otherwise unstable.
