Porcelain Inlays and Onlays

An inlay restoration is a custom made filling utilized to repair damage to the tooth’s biting surface. Onlays are very similar to inlays with the exception that onlays are used when both the tooth’s biting surface and one or more of the chewing cusps requires repair.

Inlays and onlays are used in teeth that have been damaged by decay or trauma. They make suitable replacements for fractured older fillings, and have the added benefit of being a more conservative treatment approach than crowns because they don’t require much of the tooth structure to be removed.

Inlays can be made of composite material, gold or porcelain. Porcelain is a popular choice because it can be closely matched to the shade of the tooth and is naturally translucent. Porcelain is also the preferred material when the broken or decayed part of the tooth is too large for a composite (white) filling. Bonded onto the remaining tooth structure, porcelain is stronger than composite material but still provides excellent aesthetics that are preferable to conventional silver fillings.