Porcelain inlays, onlays, and laminates are conservative treatments that are often considered simply a cosmetic solution to improving a patient’s smile and for preventing Decay tooth. Additionally, it has been proven that the placement of these bonded restorations strengthens teeth that have been weakened by directly placed amalgam restorations.
Locating fractures that weaken these teeth or determining the extent of decay under old amalgam fillings has always presented a challenge. The two-dimensional view provided by an x-ray image is many times inadequate for fully detecting decay and fractures in teeth or not particularly helpful in communicating what we see and recommend to the patient.
While transillumination of teeth has proved a successful method of finding such conditions, the problem has been how to capture the image and show it to the patient. Hand mirrors have been used, but this cumbersome technique was neither reliable nor useful, because the patient could never see what was done. With the advent of computer technology, we are now able to digitally capture transilluminated images on all tooth surfaces and view them in real time with our patients.
