Dental fillings seem to be the obvious treatment when you have managed to crack or break your teeth. However, filling don’t always suffice. What do you do then? Curse yourself for ruining your teeth? No, you just wait for your dentist to suggest the alternative. And the alternative is an inlay or an onlay.

An inlay helps restore cracked or broken teeth. Inlays are used for teeth that are not damaged enough to require crowns. Now, an onlay is an inlay’s brother. It is an inlay that covers more than one tooth. An inlay is typically applied to the chewing area of the tooth. Onlays are spread over the chewing surface of multiple teeth.

Inlays and onlays are made of porcelain, gold, or composite resins. Now, there are two types of inlays and onlays: direct ones and indirect ones. The direct inlay/onlay is fixed directly in the tooth. It is then taken out and hardened and then fixed again. The indirect inlay/onlay is prepared in stages: first, a mould is prepared by using a soft material on the tooth; next, the mould helps prepare the actual inlay/onlay in the laboratory. The patient is given temporary filling while the inlay/onlay is being made.

In this dental procedure, the area around the tooth is numbed using an anesthesia. Then, depending on whether a direct inlay/onlay is required or an indirect inlay/onlay, the treatment is done.

Typically, it requires two visits for the treatment. However, with technological advancements, it is possible to fix a direct inlay/onlay in a single visit.

Take care. Save yourself from unnecessary accidents – dental or otherwise.

Happy smiling!

Tags: inlays, onlays