What is an Inlay and Onlay?
An Inlay is an Intracoronal dental restoration, made outside the oral cavity to conform to the prepared cavity, which restores some of the occlusal surface of a tooth but does not restore any cusp tips. An Onlay is a dental restoration made outside the oral cavity that covers one or more cusp tips and adjoining occlusal surfaces, but not the entire external surface.
When do you need to consider Inlays and Onlays?
When your tooth or teeth:
- is in a high stress bearing area, namely premolars and molars
- has gross tooth structure missing, chipped, cracked or decayed
- has undermined tooth structure due to decay or previous compromised filling
What materials are used for an Inlay/Onlay?
Gold, Porcelain or Composite Resin