What Is Inlay and Onlay in Dentistry?

You might be familiar with dental fillings and crowns that help restore decayed and severely damaged teeth.

However, are you aware of dental inlays and Onlays, or have you ever heard your dentist recommend the same for your teeth?

If you haven’t considered yourself fortunate because you might have minor cavities in your teeth comfortably restored with different fillers or don’t have an extensively damaged tooth that needed a dental crown.

Dental inlays and Onlays are restorations that help restore extensive cavities in your teeth, which are challenging to fix with filling materials or restore teeth without comprehensive tooth structure removal if you have a severely damaged tooth.

If you have a tooth with expansive decay insufficient to restore with fillings, your dentist recommends a dental inlay.

Unfortunately, if the extensive damage needs restoration, with durable materials and crowns being too vast, dentists recommend Onlays that are more substantial than fillings but not intrusive like dental crowns, which require reshaping the tooth by removing tooth structure.

Differences between Dental Inlays and Onlays

Inlays help fill cavities and hollow spaces in teeth between the cusps. On the other hand, Onlays, besides filling holes, work on a larger area similar to crowns to cover the cusps.

Similar materials help make dental inlays, and Onlays serve similar functions by covering different areas of the tooth to provide adequate protection if tooth decay exists.

Are Onlays Better Than Fillings?

Dental Onlays are undoubtedly better than fillings because they cover a larger tooth area to protect it when decayed.

However, onlays also require decay removal and a temporary restoration because these are indirect fillings placed on the tooth after having them customized by a dental laboratory.

It indicates you must schedule two appointments with your dentist to fix your tooth if it is extensively decayed or damaged.

Onlays, besides covering decay and damage to the tooth cusps and the biting surface, help fill a cavity too large for restoration with standard silver amalgam fillings.

In addition, onlays fortify the tooth’s strength when protecting the decaying area. Unlike inlays, the area covered by Onlays includes the cusps and the space between them.

The dentist in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, prepares your tooth by giving you local anesthesia in the mouth by drilling the cavity and disinfecting the space.

You receive a temporary cover over the cavity after the dentist impressions your tooth for the dental laboratory to fabricate your restoration.

The onlay is placed over your tooth after it arrives from the dental laboratory in a second appointment.

If the Rancho Cucamonga dentist recommends a dental onlay for your decayed tooth, rest assured you are receiving a restoration while the dentist tries to preserve a significant portion of your tooth structure by avoiding suggesting a crown.

Whether you need repairs for minor cavities or considerable damage to your tooth, the dentist provides porcelain inlays and Onlays to ensure they fix your tooth with aesthetic material without removing the cusps.

Therefore you receive excellent restorations for your tooth to help cover the damage without encasing the tooth entirely. It is why dental Onlays are alternatively called partial crowns.

How Much Is a Dental Onlay?

Dental Onlays are considerably more expensive than fillings, but the costs vary according to several factors. For example, your dentist’s experience and reputation play a significant role.

In addition, the material used to make the dental onlay also matters. The costs of inlays and Onlays are similar. However, Onlays cost more if you need extensive restorations. Generally, you can expect to pay around $ 650-$ 1200 per tooth for the repair.

Porcelain is the most expensive material for making dental inlays and Onlays because it looks like natural tooth enamel.

However, if you prefer, you can also consider inlays and Onlays fabricated from more affordable gold, remembering it might affect your aesthetic appearance because it remains noticeable in your mouth.

Affordable inlays and Onlays are also available, manufactured from composite resin. However, they can stain and not have the longevity of porcelain inlays and Onlays.

Porcelain inlays and Onlays are durable, lasting between 5 to 30 years with proper care.

Besides maintaining excellent dental hygiene by brushing twice daily, flossing once, and limiting or avoiding chewy foods, you must also schedule exams and cleanings at half-year intervals with your dentist to ensure the restorations remain on your tooth for as long as possible.

Talent Dental recommends dental inlays and Onlays as an alternative to dental fillings and crowns.

If you have extensive damage in a tooth but do not favor dental crowns, you help yourself by visiting this practice to receive dental inlays and Onlays near you to restore your tooth.