Inlays and Onlays

Crowns have been of great value over the years in restoring and protecting broken down or heavily filled teeth. They are however relatively destructive of tooth tissue. Some patients with heavy bites break even the best of fillings and require stronger restorations. Gold was often used to address this scenario in the past.

In the modern age of adhesive dentistry, we can offer great looking inlays and onlays that serve to protect the teeth whilst preserving more intact tooth structure. Inlays and onlays are most commonly made from either a toughened white filling material or more commonly, porcelain in the laboratory and cemented/bonded onto the tooth by the dentist, normally at a second appointment. Some people may be aware of products like one visit Cerec inlays, we ourselves are not keen on the aesthetic appearance normally produced with these. Manufacture and staining by a skilled laboratory technician can make a world of difference to the final outcome. Technically, an inlay fits into a tooth and may be considered as an alternative to a filling whilst an onlay sits at least in part on top of the tooth and in some cases can replace crowns. They are a very reliable option, being tightly bonded to the underlying tooth structure. Unlike crowns, because they are not reliant on a central core of tooth/filling to hold them in place, they can sometimes be used to restore broken down teeth where a crown may not be viable.

For patients with extremely heavy bites slim metal onlays are sometimes necessary to provide stability of the bite.