Inlays and onlays are a type of indirect restoration, where your dentist fabricates the restoration outside of your mouth and cements it into place. A direct restoration, most commonly fillings, are placed immediately into a prepared cavity in a single visit.
Inlays and onlays are used in molars or premolars, when the tooth has experienced too much damage to support a basic filling, but not so much damage that a crown is necessary. They can be made of gold, metal alloys, ceramics, or composites. An inlay is used when the cavity rests between the cusps, whereas an onlay covers one or more cusps, as well as the area in between. A crown replaces the entire outside area of the tooth above the gum line.
Our digital office workflow allows us to complete this treatment in a single visit! During this visit, your dentist prepares the tooth and takes a digital scan of the area to be restored. We then cement the restoration into the prepared space and finely polish it.
Upper right molar treated with onlay due to broken cusp; Completed same day in less than an hour.