Porcelain inlays and onlays

Porcelain inlays and onlays are restorations used in dentistry to repair the teeth in the back of your mouth. Tooth colored materials, most commonly porcelain, are made in a dental laboratory and are designed to exactly fit your own tooth. They are firmly bonded to your tooth so that they restore the strength of the original tooth prior to the damage. They are the treatment of choice when the repair of your back tooth will involve more than half of the chewing surface.

Porcelain inlays and onlays will provide strength and durability that will protect your teeth from further damage for many years. In addition to their strength, they will match your existing tooth color, making them virtually undetectable to any one other than your dentist! Using a filling when an inlay or onlay is the best treatment, is a compromise which could result in more substantial problems - such as fracture, a root-canal, or tooth loss - in the future.

Dental Inlays Dental inlays are used to treat teeth that have decay or damage lying within their indented top surfaces. They can also be used to replace old or damaged metal fillings. Inlay placement is usually carried out over two appointments. During your first visit to the dentist, an impression of your tooth will be taken, and a temporary inlay will be placed over the tooth. The dentist will send the impression off to a dental lab, which will create the inlay to match your tooths specifications. When you return to the dentists office, the temporary inlay will be removed and the permanent one will be placed carefully over your tooth. There is no downtime after receiving a dental inlay, only a mild level of tenderness in the treated area, so you can return to work or other activities as soon as you leave the office.

Since dental inlays and onlays can be made from durable, tooth-colored porcelain, they offer much more enduring and natural-looking results than metal fillings. In addition, their customized nature allows dentists to securely bond them to the tooth surface, adding structural integrity and preventing bacteria from entering and forming cavities.

Dental Onlays whereas dental inlays are designed to treat decay within the cusps, or top projections, of a tooth, onlays are used to treat decay that extends to one or more of the cusps. Onlays are placed in much the same way as inlays. First, an impression of the decayed tooth is taken, and a temporary onlay is placed over the tooth. The impression is then sent to a lab, where a dental technician creates the onlay according to the tooths dimensions. When the patient returns to the dentists office, the temporary onlay is removed, and the permanent restoration is placed on the tooth and securely bonded using high-strength dental resins.

Like dental inlays, onlays can be created from tooth-colored material, which makes them virtually undetectable to the naked eye. Onlays also help to conserve more tooth structure because their use requires minimal removal a tooths surface. Perhaps their most important benefit, however, is that, in saving damaged teeth, onlays help patients avoid the eventual need for more extensive treatment with dental crowns, dental bridges, or dental implants. Porcelain inlays and onlays are a great way to restore strength to weak teeth.