You have probably been advised by your dentist to get a crown or a filling to cover up your dental decay or cavities. However, you may not have heard of some other options, like dental onlays and inlays. Usually, fillings are used to fill in small cavities, while crowns are used when the decay is deeper or if there is a larger fracture to be covered up. However, there may be situations when a filling is not enough, and a crown is too much to protect dental decay. Dental inlays and onlays are what many dental professionals will then use if they need something “just right” to fill in those gaps. They are more substantial than fillings, but not as intrusive as a crown.
What is the difference between Inlays and Onlays?
In dentistry, onlays and inlays are regarded as “Indirect Fillings” meaning that they are placed outside the mouth as a solid piece that fits the particular shape and size of the cavity.
At their most basic definitions, an inlay fills in cavities and hollows in a tooth in the areas between the cusps. An onlay will not just fill in cavities in those spaces, but they can work for a larger area, including the cusps. They work similarly to crowns, but they do not cover the entire surface of the tooth. They are both made from the same materials, and they both serve the same function, but they cover different areas of the tooth to properly protect when there is tooth decay.
Based on the nature of material used in their fabrication, inlays can either be gold type, porcelain type, composite type and zirconium type. Porcelain, zirconium and composite inlays are much more aesthetically appealing than the gold ones due to their close resemblance to the natural tooth colour.
Inlays and onlays do not require removal of healthy portion of tooth and thus helps in preservation of natural tooth structure. Porcelain and zirconium inlays do not change colour over time and are aesthetically appealing. Margins of both inlays and onlays are kept minimal which makes them easier to clean and further help in maintaining proper oral hygiene. Moreover they restore and strengthen the damaged tooth.
Teeth Care Centre® is known to incorporate latest dental technologies in clinic and therefore we use the latest CAD/CAM technology to design and fabricate a custom inlay or onlay. This means you can leave the dental office with fully aesthetically restored tooth.