Inlay and Onlays

Inlay

An inlay is a dental restoration, which is like a filling, but is prepared in the lab and then placed in the cavity of the tooth and then bonded to the tooth.

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Onlay

An onlay is a dental restoration which is not a full cap, like a dental crown, but overlays one or more cusps of the tooth. It is prepared in the lab and then bonded to the tooth.

It is interesting that inlays have always been a decorative technique. They are used in wood, stone, jewelry and the like. This is also true in dentistry where a solid filling is placed in the biting surface of a tooth. Whether it is porcelain or gold, inlays in dentistry take a designers eye when tooth restoration takes place. An onlay is distinguished from an inlay in that it involves the outer surface of a tooth as well as the biting surface.

Porcelain inlays are considered durable, with a manufacturing process that enables a high degree of accuracy in placing the inlay. Porcelain inlays bind onto the tooth and increase the overall strength of the tooth and can be used to repair somewhat damaged back teeth. They are made of very strong and durable industrial ceramics. Bonded into place with special adhesives, they hold the damaged parts of the tooth together.

Both inlays and onlays are preferred over fillings where it is important to strengthen the tooth. They are made in a lab just like a crown so it involves two visits to complete the procedure with a temporary placed on the tooth after the cast for the inlay or onlay is created. Done right inlays and onlays can last up to 10 or 20 years.

Beverly Hills cosmetic dentist, Dr. Kourosh Maddahi, explains the use of porcelain in his practice, "The teeth that have points or cusps can have a ceramic inlay that lies inside the cusp tips of the tooth. Custom-made, they fit the cavity after it is prepared and are cemented into place. More substantive reconstruction can be needed that covers one or more of these cusps and that is an onlay."