- 10.30 am - 2.30 pm (Morning) | 4.00pm - 8.00 pm (Evening) | Sunday (Appointment only)
BriteSmile Dental Clinic
Changing Smiles For Life
Porcelain Onlays and Inlays
When you smile, do you see those old style amalgam fillings sticking out like a sore thumb, from the back of your mouth? Those dark and metallic looking fillings detract from your smile. What can be done to give the appearance of a healthy, natural looking smile?
The answer is if you want to replace your old-style fillings, onlays and inlays are the perfect choice. These “internal crowns,” are constructed from porcelain, they replace decayed tooth tissue while still preserving your healthy mouth tissue. Additionally, they look natural and they are durable and strong. When most people think of the conventional ways to take care of a decayed tooth, particularly in the back of the mouth, they either think of traditional fillings or a dental crown as being the only available treatment options. Fortunately, porcelain inlays and onlays offer an alternative solution for repairing teeth that are suffering from mild to moderate levels of tooth decay.
- What is the difference between Porcelain Inlays and Porcelain Onlays?
Inlays are made of long-lasting, strong and natural-looking materials, such as composite resin or porcelain and placed in the center of a tooth and bonded to it.
Onlays are used for larger restorations, repairing inside the cusp and extending over one or multiple sides of the tooth, may be necessary where a previous large filling has failed and needs replacing or if there is a large cavity that needs to be repaired.
Dental filling and inlays, both involve removing the existing cavity with a drill and filling that empty space, but how that space is filled is where they primarily differ. Dental fillings are used to address tooth decay on nearly any tooth surface. Dental crowns are placed over teeth that have been weakened by decay or trauma. Inlays address decay in between tooth cusps. Onlays address decay over and on tooth cusps. Compared to a crown, onlay is a less aggressive restoration when one can be performed, as less tooth structure needs to be removed in order to place the onlays. The costs are similar, but onlay is a little cheaper than a crown. As such, an onlay is actually the preferred restoration when possible. There are cross-over applications between all of these restorative services, but each is specifically designed for a different purpose.
Porcelain inlays and porcelain onlays are dental restorations or indirect fillings created to restructure a tooth’s anatomy and function so it looks and feels like a whole, natural tooth. The porcelain material used for inlays or onlays is extremely durable. Due to the complex design and customized fit of inlays or onlays there is less bacterial leakage compared to regular fillings.
- Custom Fitting
- Natural Look
- Easy Cleaning
- Natural Feel
- Strength
- Long Lasting
- Safe
- Are Inlays/Onlays Painful?
- The patient might experience mild discomfort after undergoing the procedure, but inlays and onlays are not painful.