Aesthetics

A veneer is a wafer-thin, translucent ceramic shell for the teeth, which is applied to the tooth surface - especially of front teeth - with special adhesive.

Veneers can be used to correct slight tooth misalignments, tooth damage, gaps between teeth, unsatisfactory tooth colours and local discolouration. Veneers give the visible surfaces of the teeth an optimised appearance. Usually, when they are used, old plastic fillings or corner abutments are removed.

As a rule, veneers have a long lifespan.

Inlays

An inlay is a piece of ceramic that is later manufactured in a dental laboratory and inserted into the tooth. The inlay is usually used to treat cavities in the posterior region and replaces parts of the occlusal surface, but not the cusps of the tooth.  The indication for inlays is to treat caries and to reconstruct the resulting tooth defect. An inlay is a precision-fit workpiece that is cemented into the tooth, as opposed to plastic filling material, which is placed into the tooth in a soft consistency using moulding aids and then hardens. An inlay can be made of different materials such as gold or ceramic. In our practice, we mainly use inlays made of individual tooth-coloured all-ceramics in cooperation with our dental laboratories.

Onlays

One speaks of an onlay when the cusps of a tooth that carry the chewing force are also covered. In this case, defective, weakened tooth walls are replaced by additionally coupling over those cusps of the tooth that carry the chewing force. It is a kind of larger inlay. The overlay also overcouples cusps of the tooth and replaces the entire occlusal surface. The partial crown also partially incorporates the tooth walls.

Partial Crowns

The partial crown is considered the most durable solution for medium to large tooth defects where sufficient healthy tooth structure is still present. In contrast to a complete crown, a partial crown does not cover the entire tooth, but replaces only parts of the dental crown. Precious metal alloys and all-ceramic materials can be used. Ceramics are an excellent material for partial crowns, not only from an esthetic point of view, but especially because of the possibility of adhesive cementation and thus stabilization of the remaining tooth structure.

The definitions are not always clear-cut, as the differences in size between the inlay, the onlay, the overlay and the partial crown are sometimes fluid.

Composites are tooth-coloured plastic filling materials for dental treatment. The dental field of application of composites are fillings in the anterior and posterior region. Composites are available in many different colours, so that with careful colour selection, a colour difference to the existing teeth is difficult to detect. In the posterior region, we mainly use composites that have ceramic particles added to them. This increases the strength of the material so that chewing forces are better absorbed. 

Caries usually forms in places that are difficult to reach with a toothbrush. From a dental point of view, dental defects in hard-to-reach areas are difficult to treat. Therefore, healthy tooth substance is often removed in order to gain access to the diseased area of the tooth, for example in the interdental spaces, and to be able to treat it. The earlier even the smallest tooth defects, e.g. due to caries, are detected, the more gently they can be treated.

We work with magnifying glasses to detect even the smallest areas of caries and to treat them gently. Our technical possibilities, such as special matrix systems, tiny tunnel preparations and the smallest possible preparation diamonds, allow us to remove the diseased area with pinpoint accuracy and preserve healthy structures. In this way, we ensure the maximum preservation of healthy tooth substance. We also replace old, leaking filling material, taking into account the greatest possible protection of the tooth substance.

In dentistry, shaping is the reshaping of teeth for aesthetic reasons. For this purpose, teeth are slightly straightened in the enamel area and then polished. This can be used, for example, to correct a slight crowding of teeth, broken edges or corners and frayed cogwheels caused by grinding or biting.