Dental Inlays and Onlays in Elk Grove, CA

Most people are familiar with tooth fillings and dental crowns and how they work, but what if your tooth is too damaged for a filling but not extensive enough for a crown? That’s when our dentists might recommend a dental inlay or onlay.

Inlays and Onlays

The purpose of inlays and onlays is to restore a tooth’s shape, function, and strength and protect it against further damage. These restorations provide more coverage than a simple filling but are less invasive than a dental crown.

What Is a Dental Inlay?

If you have a cavity, your dentist will remove the decay and place a filling to strengthen and protect the tooth. However, sometimes decay is too extensive for a filling but not significant enough to warrant placing a dental crown.

In this case, our dentists might recommend a dental inlay. An inlay replaces a portion of structure inside the tooth’s cusps, which are the raised points on a tooth. It is a custom-made restoration that we place on a tooth’s chewing surface, typically a molar or premolar.

Inlays are created as a single solid piece and are commonly called indirect fillings because they are custom-made by a dental lab. We then fit it on your tooth and securely bond it with dental cement.

Dental inlays are beneficial because they strengthen a decayed or weakened tooth to restore its shape, appearance, and function. They are more substantial than a filling, and we recommend them for larger cavities or damage that extends beyond the tooth’s surface. Inlays are more durable than fillings and can last up to 30 years with proper care.

The difference between an inlay and an onlay is coverage. While an inlay fits inside the cusps of a tooth, an onlay repairs damage that involves the cusps.

An onlay covers more of a tooth than a filling but does not involve the entire tooth like a dental crown. Our dentists recommend onlays for teeth with moderate to severe damage, wear, or decay that we cannot repair with a filling.

An onlay is less invasive than a dental crown because we don’t have to alter the shape of the entire tooth to accommodate it. This means we can preserve more healthy tooth structure, which is our goal wherever possible.

The Process for Getting an Inlay or Onlay

The process for getting an inlay or onlay is similar to that of a dental crown and involves two visits to our Elk Grove dental office. During the first, we numb the tooth to ensure your comfort, then remove the damaged part of the tooth.

We take comfortable digital impressions of the tooth that a dental lab uses to custom-craft restoration. In the meantime, the dentist will place a temporary filling to protect the tooth.

When your new restoration is ready, you will return, and we will remove the temporary and replace it with the final onlay. We check the onlay’s fit to ensure you can bite down comfortably, then position it on the tooth and cement it securely in place.

Do You Need a Dental Inlay or Onlay in Elk Grove, CA?

If you want to learn more about inlays and onlays or schedule an examination with one of our dentists, please call our Elk Grove, CA, dental office. We look forward to helping you!