Tooth Inlays and Onlays

Inlays and Onlays are one of my cosmetic specialties. When it comes to treating decay they are many options:

1) Amalgam (mercury) fillings : Are silver looking and not done in our office.

2) Resin fillings, Bondings : Are white fillings, very popular and only require one visit. They can be done on small to medium size cavities. The teeth are filled instantly and you can eat and chew when you leave the office.

3) Inlays and Onlays : Are done in 2 steps. In the 1st step I take out the cavity, clean the tooth and an impression will be taken of the tooth. You will leave the office with a temporary filling and come back 10 days later. At your second visit our high quality dental lab will deliver the filling done in the lab to our office. I will show you the filling inside your mouth, and if you love it, it will be permanently cemented.

There are many options of what this material of choice can be and they are too numerous to list all of them. As a general guideline you can choose:

A) Gold Inlay (in back upper teeth) can last decades, barely visible. B) Porcelain Inlay (tooth colored) also last a long time, very biocompatible and strong, looks beautiful.

C) Special Reinforced Resin, also tooth colored fillings, very strong and durable and flexible to pressure from chewing and grinding.

D) Hybrids, a combination of porcelain and resin fillings in one. The advantage is to combine the positive physical properties of both into one filling.

In any case, the outcome is a more precise and more accurate restoration than with a resin filling done in one visit. The lab can eliminate the limitation of a dentist working inside the mouth such as high saliva flow, minor bleeding, tongue and cheek space limitations. The outcome is a perfectly contoured, beautiful, strong and long lasting restoration. An onlay is a bigger version of an inlay, when the decay is too big, an onlay can be suitable. If there is decay all over the tooth, a crown (cap) will be the best option.