Dental inlays and onlays are great alternatives to oversized fillings or crowns. Sometimes a tooth has too much tooth structure missing to place a filling, but still has plenty of healthy enamel and doesn’t quite need a crown. An inlay or onlay is a great way to conservatively repair the tooth and provide a strong, long-lasting restoration without having to remove all the healthy enamel surfaces. Best of all, inlays and onlays are made of porcelain and blend in beautifully with your tooth, making it feel and look absolutely natural.

Inlays are used to strengthen the inner biting surface of the tooth, while onlays are used to replace the cusp of a tooth. True to their names, inlays are laid in the valley created by the cusps of your teeth, while onlays are laid over the top of the tooth’s surface.

Onlays are often a better choice than a crown when damaged fillings are present. Crown preparations can be very aggressive. Much of the healthy enamel structure must be removed to make room for a layer of porcelain and metal. Within a few years, a patient’s gum line slowly recedes, exposing a metal dark line. This can be very unsightly and unaesthetic. Since onlays are made of porcelain, they blend in well with your natural tooth color and as the years pass, their color remains stable and continues to look completely natural.

Porcelain is also more biocompatible with a tooth than a white composite filling.  Porcelain inlays do not shrink like white composite fillings, which enables inlays to be more resistant to new cavities and decay than fillings. Best of all, inlays and onlays also experience significantly less cold sensitivity than fillings. So when a tooth has a large cavity present, an inlay is a great way to conservatively replace the missing tooth structure and prevent new decay from forming.

Unlike fillings, which are placed directly into the tooth during the dental visit, inlays and onlays are precisely prepared after a mold of the tooth is taken and sent to a lab. Dr Kederian places a temporary filling over the tooth, allowing you to eat and chew normally while your inlay or onlay is fabricated. After two weeks, a perfectly sculpted porcelain restoration is fitted to the tooth and cemented with a strong resin bond.  Your natural tooth has been saved and you can return to your daily activities immediately.