333 Corporate Dr., Ste. 160
If you have an extensive fracture or severely decayed tooth that a restoration would then compromise the structural integrity of the tooth, check out todays’ blog. See when the dentist may recommend an inlay or onlay to substitute dental fillings.
What is an Inlay?
A dental inlay is typically what is referred to as an indirect restoration or filling that consists of a strong, sold substance fitted to a tooth cavity and then cemented in place. At the office of Mission Ranch Dental Aesthetics we use gold, porcelain, or sometimes a cured composite resin. The technique includes designing the restoration outside of your mouth, after a dental impression of the tooth has been prepared. This substitutes a traditional soft filling that is placed inside a tooth and then hardened.
What is an Onlay?
Like an inlay, an onlay involves a replacement for a tooth cusp that is then covered or onlayed over a tooth, where the missing cusp would be. We use the same type of solid substance as an inlay and have the same benefits as an inlay. Onlays are typically used when the cusp of a tooth is fractured, or the tooth structure left remaining is compromised, which undermines the perimeter walls.
Inlays and onlays are made in a dental laboratory, and the dentist will give you a temporary, while the restoration is customized to fit your tooth. A follow-up visit is then scheduled to fit the final prosthesis. To learn more about inlays and onlays in Ladera Ranch, California, we invite you to contact us at 949-388-6325 for an appointment with Dr. Richard D. Guthrie.
