Inlays and Onlays Treatment - Indirect Fillings

There was a time when patients who required a dental filling had just a few choices at their disposal, and most had to settle on conspicuous silver amalgam fillings. While these fillings served their purpose reasonably well, they weren’t particularly aesthetically pleasing. Thankfully, restorative dentistry has come a long way in the past few decades, and the modern dental patient has more excellent choices than ever at his or her fingertips.

For instance, old-fashioned metal fillings can now be replaced by inlays and onlays. Also known as indirect fillings, these restorations are custom crafted from the finest ceramic materials to ensure the best possible results in terms of aesthetics, strength, durability, and functionality. Patients come into a dental office with damaged teeth and leave with smiles that look beautiful and healthy.

At the dental practice of Bruce E. Treiber, we are proud to offer a comprehensive range of treatments designed to restore optimal health, beauty, and function to the mouth. At our office in Canton, inlays and onlays treatment allows our patients to repair damaged teeth without sacrificing their smiles. Because the ceramic material used to construct these restorations can be colored to match the exact color of the surrounding tooth, our inlays and onlays blend seamlessly into any smile, making them virtually indistinguishable. Now that’s something to smile about.

Inlays

You have probably noticed that the top surfaces of your teeth have small, raised parts. These are called cusps. Each tooth has between one and five of these cusps. If a tooth has damage that occurs within these cusps but does not extend to the cusps themselves, then the damaged portion would be replaced with an inlay.

Once Dr. Treiber removes the damaged portion of the tooth, he will create an impression of the tooth. This impression will be used to manufacture an inlay to the exact specifications he provides. The inlay will fit with absolute precision into the area of your tooth that has been cleared of damaged material, within the cusps, and bonded into place. Once in place, it will remain there for many years with proper oral hygiene and regular dental visits.

Onlays

Onlays differ from inlays only in that they are crafted to replace the damaged portions of teeth when damage extends to one or more of the cusps. Therefore, onlays cover at least part, and usually most, of the top surfaces of teeth. Otherwise, they are created in exactly the same way as inlays.

In some cases, a tooth is too extensively damaged to support either an inlay or an onlay. In these cases, Dr. Treiber will probably recommend a dental crown. Dental crowns offer all of the same cosmetic advantages as inlays and onlays, but are crafted to cover the entire visible surface area of a damaged tooth. Also known colloquially as “caps,” dental crowns provide strength to damaged or weakened teeth while protecting them from further harm.

Learn More about Inlays and Onlays Treatment

To learn more about inlays and onlays treatment, please contact our cosmetic, restorative, and general dentistry practice today.