Onlays & Inlays

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Onlays and Inlays are a type of dental filling, sometimes referred to as indirect restorations. Inlays and onlays have been in use for a lot longer than their modern counterparts and in a number of cases can be more effectively used to fix severe tooth decay. An onlay is typically recommended for when decay affects the outside of your tooth. When the tooth has been damaged so severely that a partial or complete filling is needed to restore the tooth's shape, then an onlay is fit around the outside of it. Inlays are used when the material of which the filling is comprised will need to be put on the inside of your tooth. Inlays are typically used to fill holes occurring due to injury or decay and help maintain the structure of the tooth.

In the past, onlays and inlays were made up of gold . This was due to it is sterility and the way it can be easily worked by a dentist. Gold was also a great choice as it was strong enough to survive the wear and tear of day to day chewing. Recent innovations in dentistry has now led to composite fillings made from resin or porcelain to be favored although gold is still popular. Because of the cost of the materials used in onlays and inlays, they tend to be much more expensive than traditional fillings. In spite of the high cost there are several benefits to using inlays and onlays over their conventional counterparts. Onlays and inlays tend to have a longer life than conventional filling and because of their custom design there is much less chance of decay and cracks occurring.

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