Rebuild · Porcelain Fillings

A repair that disappears into the tooth.

Most small cavities and chips don't need a crown — they need a careful repair. A porcelain filling rebuilds just the damaged area in ceramic matched to your enamel, and leaves the rest of the tooth alone.

Two ceramic restorations pictured on a white stone model, illustrating an inlay on the left, sitting inside the cusps, and an onlay on the right, covering the cusps.

Left, an inlay — inside the cusps. Right, an onlay — covering one or more cusps.

How we think about fillings

We rebuild only what the tooth has lost — in ceramic that matches your enamel — and keep everything that is still healthy.

Only the damaged area

After decay or a small chip, a porcelain filling replaces just the part of the tooth that was lost. The healthy structure around it stays exactly as it was.

The ceramic is bonded to the tooth rather than wedged into it, so the repair and the tooth work as one piece again.

Matched to your enamel

Porcelain sits close to natural enamel in both color and strength. Once the filling is polished, it is designed to read as tooth — not as a patch.

Designed on screen

We start with a digital scan of your mouth — no trays of impression putty. Dr. Oh designs the repair on screen before anything is made, shaping it to your bite.

When old metal fillings wear out

Metal (silver amalgam) fillings serve for years, but they do wear out. When one fails, we can usually replace it with porcelain — without moving to a crown before one is truly needed.

That is our default: the most conservative repair we expect to hold up over time. Saving structure today keeps more options open for the decades ahead.

Color and strength, chosen for you
Color and strength are chosen against your own teeth, so the finished repair blends in rather than standing out.
One visit, typically
Most porcelain fillings are scanned, designed, and bonded in a single appointment.
Conservative by design
Only the damaged area is rebuilt. We keep every bit of healthy tooth structure we can.
Replaces worn metal fillings
An old silver filling that has failed can usually be exchanged for bonded porcelain, without jumping to a crown early.
Checked at every recall
We examine the filling, the bite, and the margins at your regular hygiene visits, so small issues stay small.

Common questions

What's the difference between porcelain and metal fillings?
Metal holds a cavity closed; bonded porcelain rebuilds the tooth in a material matched to enamel. The bond also lets us keep more healthy structure.
Does getting a filling hurt?
The area is fully numbed first, and most patients are comfortable throughout. Some mild sensitivity afterward is common and typically settles within days.
How long do porcelain fillings last?
It depends on your bite and your habits. With good home care and regular recall, a well-bonded porcelain filling typically serves for many years.
When is a crown needed instead?
When too little healthy tooth remains to hold a filling, a crown protects what's left. We show you the scan and explain the reasoning before anything is decided.
Can you replace my old silver fillings?
Usually, yes — especially once one is cracked, leaking, or worn. If an old filling is still serving the tooth well, we'll tell you that too and simply keep watching it.

Your visit, step by step

One careful visit, start to finish.

STEP 01

Scan and look together

We take a digital scan, show you the tooth on screen, and agree on the plan — including whether a filling is truly the right repair.

STEP 02

Remove only the damage

With the area fully numbed, we clear the decay or fracture and nothing more — healthy structure stays.

STEP 03

Design and match

Dr. Oh designs the ceramic on screen and matches its shade against your neighboring enamel, so the repair belongs to the tooth.

STEP 04

Bond, polish, check

The porcelain is bonded, polished, and checked against your bite. We keep an eye on it at every recall visit from then on.

Call us about the tooth.

Call (973) 808-4373 — tell us what you've noticed, and we'll find a time that works.

Call (973) 808-4373