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Dentist Good morning, Mrs Thornton. I examined the lower right molar yesterday and the X-ray shows that the previous filling has failed completely. Patient I see. What treatment choices do you recommend? Dentist Two options exist. The first is a composite filling that would restore the tooth directly. If you selected this, the work could be completed in one visit and the tooth would remain vital. The cost would stand at two hundred and forty-five pounds. Patient And the second? Dentist The second involves a ceramic onlay that would be prepared in the laboratory and cemented at a later appointment. This option would provide greater strength because more of the weakened cusp would be covered. An onlay would reduce the chance of the tooth fracturing later. The laboratory fee brings the total to eight hundred and ninety pounds. Patient Those amounts differ sharply. Does my dental insurance cover this kind of work? Dentist Your policy states that only basic restorations receive full reimbursement. An onlay would therefore attract no reimbursement at all, so the whole cost would fall to you. If the composite were placed first and then failed within five years, the practice would replace it without charge under our guarantee. Patient How long would each procedure take? Dentist The filling requires forty minutes. The onlay needs two visits of thirty minutes each, with three weeks between them while the technician fabricates the piece. Patient I must consider the expense carefully. Could you send the written estimates today? Dentist Certainly. I will email both quotations before lunchtime so you can discuss them with your husband this evening.