INLAYS AND ONLAYS
Durable Restorations for a Strong, Natural Smile
In dentistry, an inlay is an indirect restoration crafted from durable materials such as gold or porcelain. It is designed to fit precisely into a cavity in the tooth and is cemented in place, offering a strong and natural-looking solution for repairing damaged teeth. An onlay is similar to an inlay but extends further to cover and replace a tooth’s cusp. Onlays provide additional strength and protection, making them ideal for larger cavities. When an onlay covers the entire tooth, it becomes a crown, fully encasing the tooth to restore its form, function, and appearance. These restorations provide lasting durability and seamlessly blend with your natural smile.
Inlays
Sometimes, a tooth is treatment planned to be restored with an intracoronal restoration, but the decay or fracture is so extensive that a direct restoration, such as amalgam or composite, would compromise the structural integrity of the restored tooth by possibly undermining the remaining tooth structure or providing substandard opposition to occlusal (i.e. biting) forces.
Onlays
Additionally, when decay or fracture incorporate areas of a tooth that make amalgam or composite restorations essentially inadequate, such as cuspal fracture or remaining tooth structure that undermines perimeter walls of a tooth, a gold onlay might be indicated.
Similar to an inlay, a gold onlay is an indirect restoration which incorporates a cusp or cusps by covering or onlaying the missing cusps.
All of the benefits of a gold inlay are present in the onlay restoration.
The onlay allows for conservation of tooth structure when the alternative is to totally eliminate cusps and perimeter walls for restoration with a crown.