Home > Services > Restorative Dentistry > Dental Onlays
Repair moderate to extensive tooth damage with a custom partial crown that restores full chewing strength while preserving your natural tooth structure.
Dental onlays provide an ideal intermediate solution when a cavity or fracture is too large for a standard filling but does not require a full crown. By covering only the damaged cusps of your tooth, an onlay protects your bite while leaving healthy tooth structure completely untouched. We help you address:
Restoration Type | How Much of the Tooth It Covers | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|
Tooth-Colored Filling | Fits directly inside the tooth to repair small to moderate cavities | Small areas of decay or minor edge fractures |
Dental Onlay | Custom-covers the damaged chewing surface and cusps | Moderate to extensive damage requiring more support than a filling |
Dental Crown | Encircles the entire visible tooth above the gumline | Severely weakened, cracked, or heavily restored teeth |
We examine the damage, remove decay, and gently shape your tooth to receive a secure, custom-fitted restoration.
We take precise digital scans of your prepared tooth, eliminating messy impression goop and ensuring an accurate lab specification.
A specialized dental laboratory crafts your high-strength porcelain or composite onlay to match your bite and tooth shade.
We bond the finished onlay securely to your tooth during a second appointment, verifying your bite alignment and polishing the surface.
When Dr. Mohammad Hammoud designs a dental onlay, he prioritizes maximizing your long-term tooth preservation. Rather than aggressively filing down a tooth for a full crown, an onlay allows us to target only the damaged areas. We use advanced digital scanning to ensure your partial crown fits with absolute precision, protecting your bite forces and keeping your natural foundation as strong as possible.
An onlay only covers the damaged portion of your chewing surface and cusps, whereas a crown encircles the entire visible portion of the tooth.
With good daily hygiene and regular dental checkups, high-strength porcelain onlays typically last for a decade or more.
Onlays allow us to conserve much more of your healthy, natural tooth structure because they do not require full-coverage preparation.
The process requires two appointments: one for tooth preparation and digital impressions, and a second visit for permanent bonding.
If you have a fractured or heavily decayed tooth that needs more than a standard filling, contact our Dearborn team today to discuss your onlay options.
Reviewed by Dr. Mohammad Hammoud, DMD – 313 Dental, Dearborn, MI
