Inlays and Onlays

What is an Inlay?

Instead of using a conventional restorative materials such as composite or amalgam for your fillings, dental inlays are more durable and made from composite resin or porcelain.

The inlay itself is a premolded filling that is made to fit perfectly into the grooves of the tooth. Once the patient is numbed through the use of local anesthetic, the dentist will drill to remove the existing decay as well as clean the tooth to prepare it for the inlay.

A mold is taken and then sent to the lab so that the dental technician can fabricate the inlay and sent it back to the dentist for cementation.

What are the Advantages of choosing to use an inlay?

This restorative method is used to repair a tooth if it has experienced damage by decay or injury, and the damage has not extended to the cusps of the tooth. Inlays preserve as much as the natural tooth as possible, making it healthier for you.

With fillings, over time, they will shrink, but with inlays, because they are made with durable materials, they will not shrink as they age as well as they are custom made for your tooth. The dentist will only need to remove the damaged tissue from the tooth and commence with the process of taking impressions for the custom production of the inlay. Whereas, with a regular crown, more natural tooth must be removed to cater for the crown.
 

Onlays

What is an Onlay?

Similar to an onlay is another form of restoration where it involves the cusps of your tooth by covering the (in non-dentist terms) top edges of the tooth.

What are the advantages of an Onlay?

All the advantages of an inlay are the same as an onlay, but this alternative totally removes the cusps and the circumference whilst persevering the tooth structure on the sides.
 

What is best for my tooth?

Each and every patient case is different, and so we advise patients to see their dentist for a consultation regarding the best option for their tooth.