Metal-Free Restorations

When a tooth is damaged or decayed, cosmetically flawed, or otherwise needs to be repaired, you may need a dental crown, inlay, or onlay to replace lost tooth structures. At Charlottesville and Crozet Blue Ridge Dental, we do our utmost to help patients maintain their optimal level of oral health and preserve the greatest amount of healthy natural tooth structure through conservative treatment options. In addition to providing the most conservative solutions, we also want to help our patients preserve the appearance of their smilese. In most cases, we recommend metal-free restorations to keep your smile looking and functioning flawlessly. If you want to learn more about metal-free restorations, contact our friendly team to schedule an appointment with us in our Charlottesville or Crozet dental office.

What are Metal-Free Restorations?

To ensure the most conservative results, we will offer whatever type of restoration allows us to fully restore your damaged tooth while preserving the greatest amount of healthy tooth structure. We offer three main types of metal-free restorations:

• Dental crowns – these restorations fit completely over the top of a damaged tooth, replacing lost structure and restoring function.
• Inlays – these restorations are used when tooth damage is contained between the cusps, raised portion of a tooth’s biting surface, but it’s too deep to be adequately repaired with a filling
• Onlays – repair damage to one or more of a tooth’s cusps when there is still enough healthy tooth structure that a full dental crown is unnecessary

Why Choose Metal-Free restorations?

Metal-free restorations are recommended for a number of reasons. The most obvious is that these restorations look the most like healthy tooth structures. This means they will restore both the look and feel of your damaged tooth or teeth. Metal-free restorations are also ideal for those patients who have allergies or sensitivities to metal.

How are Metal-Free Restorations Placed? 

Metal-free restorations are positioned over the course of two visits to our office. During the first treatment appointment, we prepared the tooth removing damaged enamel and reshaping the healthy tooth structure to accommodate the restoration. Then, we capture impressions that will be used by our dental lab to craft your custom restoration. Finally, a temporary crown, inlay, or onlay is placed to protect your prepared teeth. When the final restoration arrives from our lab, you’ll return to exchange your temporary for the custom dental crown, inlay, or onlay.

How Much do Metal-Free Restorations Cost?

The cost of a metal-free dental crown, inlay, or onlay will vary dramatically depending on the size, type of ceramic, and manufacturer used. In most cases, dental insurance provides coverage for between 50 and 70% of the cost of these metal-free dental restorations. We also offer affordable financing options through CareCredit and LendingClub, giving qualified patients access to low and no interest financing options.