2 Differences between dental inlays and outlays

Dental inlays and outlays are excellent alternative dental treatment options when dental fillings and crowns aren’t suitable. However, they’re probably new to you, and you want to know more about these treatments. The first thing you need to know is how inlays and outlays are different from each other.

What are Dental Inlays and Outlays

Inlays and outlays are tooth restoration treatments that provide support to a damaged tooth. They are similar to dental fillings and crowns. However, they are a better choice when fillings and crowns aren’t applicable.

A dental filling involves placing composite resin or silver amalgam in a tooth. However, it is only applicable for small to medium tooth decay problems.

Dental crowning involves carving off the outermost tooth layer to fit an artificial cap, which doesn’t preserve much of a tooth. That’s why dentists only see it as a last resort for severe tooth damage.

Now, inlays and outlays are in between those two treatments. They offer more support than fillings but are less intrusive than crowns.

And they each require more than one visit to the dental clinic. Your dentist would first prepare the decayed tooth and cast an impression on it to make a model. After which, they send the model to the laboratory to produce the inlay or overlay.

You need to go to the clinic for the installation once the inlay or overlay is ready.

Expect natural-looking results because the inlay or overlay is often made up of composite resin or porcelain with an almost similar color to actual teeth. However, there are also inlays and outlays made up of gold available.

What are the Differences Between Dental Outlays and Inlays?

Here are the significant differences between the two.

1. Position in Your Tooth

Your dentist places inlays inside the cavity of a damaged back tooth. They are almost similar to dental fillings, only that inlays provide more support.

On the other hand, outlays are placed at the center or on the cusp of a damaged tooth. They act as partial dental crowns because they are pretty similar to dental crowns. The only difference is that they cover only a part of the tooth.

In a nutshell, inlays are placed inside the tooth while outlays cover it from the outside.

2. Damage they Treat

Inlays are perfect for treating back tooth damage that dental fillings cannot treat. These damages are typically large cavities that form because of tooth decay.

However, you need an inlay if a tooth has even more damage on the chewing surface and the cusps. The cusps are the pointed formations on your teeth.

Outlays are a better option if one or two of those cusps have damage. Your dentist would probably suggest crowns if there are problems with all the cusps.

Talk with Your Dentist for More Info about Inlays and Outlays

As you can see, dental inlays and outlays are helpful in different cases. They differ from each other, but they can ultimately restore your healthy smile. Your dentist will be able to decide which dental treatment option to use to treat your teeth.