Everything You Wanted to Know About Dental Inlays and Onlays

 

Do you have damaged teeth and haven’t visited the dentist because you don’t want embarrassing metal filings? If yes, you’ll be happy to know that metal fillings are not the only option for tooth decay.

You now have a solution in dental inlays and onlays.

Call Family Dentistry & Aesthetics today at (260) 432-0561 to schedule an appointment.

What are dental inlays and outlays?

Inlays or outlays are a better tooth restoration option if more than half of the tooth is missing or decayed. It fills cavities that are too large for a simple filling and treats tooth fractures that can’t be fixed by intracoronal restoration.

Gold, resin, or porcelain is used instead of metal, and the restoration piece is cemented onto the decayed tooth. Onlays and inlays are quite similar.

The only difference is that onlays replace an entire tooth cusp, like a crown covering the tooth surface.

Differences between fillings and inlays and outlays

Besides being used to fill large cavities, there are many more differences between inlays and outlays, and fillings.

• Inlays and outlays are more durable than metal fillings, lasting about thirty years.
• While metal fillings strengthen the decayed tooth by only 50%, they make the tooth 75% stronger.
• Most importantly, they don’t as rapidly discolor as resin fillings. And while resin or metal fillings tend to shrink with use, gold and porcelain onlays return to their original size even with prolonged use.
• If you look at it size-wise, inlays and outlays are larger than a usual filling but smaller than a crown.

Types of inlays and outlays

It’s interesting to know that there are two types of inlays and onlays-direct and indirect versions.

The direct versions are made at the dental office and can be placed on your tooth in a single visit.

Your dentist will first remove the decayed tooth portion and then place resin on the tooth. They then cement the inlay or onlay onto the tooth and polish it.

Indirect inlays and onlays, however, take more time. They need about two visits because they are made in a laboratory setting.

Like the direct procedure, your dentist first removes the decayed tooth portion.

The next step is, however, different.

Your dentist makes a temporary filling and sends the impression to a laboratory. The temporary filling is removed on your second visit, after which the inlay or onlay is cemented onto the tooth and polished.

Which is the right option for you?

Gold is commonly used for inlays and onlays because it’s long-lasting and hard-wearing. Besides, it doesn’t tarnish and is strong. The only disadvantage is that the gold filling is made in a laboratory.

So your dentist will opt for an indirect inlay or outlay if you want it in gold. In short, it’s your dentist who determines the perfect tooth restoration choice based on how much of the tooth is decayed.

In a nutshell, inlays and outlays extend the tooth’s lifespan, because it won’t need any future additional dental treatment. And like your natural teeth, inlays and outlays don’t need much maintenance. They only require regular brushing, flossing, and dental visits.

Call our Fort Wayne dental office at (260) 432-0561 today!