The Ins and Outs of Dental Inlays and Onlays
Dental restoration techniques range widely from simple teeth whitening procedures to multi-stage major surgical operations that transform and remake a patient’s entire mouth which is often referred to as full mouth restoration.
Lost in the middle of the simple treatments and full-mouth reconstructive surgery is an array of restoration techniques and procedures that serve important roles in their own right.
Dental filling procedures, for example, are easily some of the most widespread and routine treatments available today. The average person, for instance, has seven fillings, also known as a direct or indirect restoration. When most people use the term “filling,” they are typically referring to a direct restoration in which a flexible restorative material, such as a dental amalgam, is placed into or onto a damaged tooth to restore its structural integrity. As it is typically applied, dental fillings are most commonly used to repair and reinforce decayed teeth. However, not all tooth restoration techniques are direct dental fillings. Rather allowing the shaping and curing process to occur in situ in the mouth itself, an alternative is to fabricate the dental filling in an external environment where variables can be better controlled. This approach is known as an indirect restoration technique and is best represented in the form of dental inlays and dental onlays.
What Is A Dental Onlay?
A dental inlay is a dental filling that has been fabricated, shaped, and allowed to cure in a controlled environment outside of a patient’s mouth. This comes with many benefits including better accounting for shrinkage during the curing process, greater accuracy, and better quality control overall.
One of the biggest weaknesses of direct application composite pastes, such as dental amalgam, is the material's tendency to slightly shrink as it hardens. This can result in gaps between the restorative filling and the rest of the tooth resulting in reinfection and more tooth decay. Poorly executed direct restoration techniques are the cause of significant recurrent tooth decay and in severe cases, complete edentulism or tooth loss. Dental inlays significantly reduce the risks of recurrent infections.
What Is the Dental Inlay Process?
During the dental inlay process, impressions of the teeth are obtained. A mold is then created which will serve as a basis for the fabrication of an accurate and personalized dental inlay made of a variety of dental-grade materials including gold and ceramic. Once the custom inlay is complete, it can be placed into the damaged tooth restoring it back to its natural strength.
What Is a Dental Onlay?
Like a dental inlay, a dental onlay is also considered an indirect restoration technique. That means that the actual filling is fabricated and cured outside of a patient’s mouth utilizing CAD/CAM technologies for exceptional accuracy. As a result, onlays come with some advantages over cured-in-place solutions and traditional dental amalgam pastes with better quality control and lower rates of recurrent tooth decay. Onlays are particularly useful for restoring teeth that have suffered damage to their structural parameters, such as a fracture, chip, or crack, or damage to a tooth’s cusp. Onlays essentially "onlay" or cover the damaged perimeter walls or missing cusp.
What Is the Dental Onlay Process?
The dental onlay process is quite similar to that of a dental inlay procedure. Impressions are taken and made into a mold. The onlay is then manufactured utilizing CAD/CAM computer technologies and are placed onto the target tooth once complete.
While awaiting either an inlay or an onlay, many patients receive a temporary restoration or prosthesis to help preserve and protect the tooth until the final product is ready for placement.
Benefits of Inlays and Onlays
There are many reasons dentists recommend inlays or onlays over other tooth restoration options. Following are some of the reasons as well as benefits of dental inlays and onlays:
- Unlike fillings, inlays and onlays are developed in a dental laboratory to specially fit into the parts of your tooth where decay was removed.
- As they are made from a more sustainable material, inlays and onlays last longer than fillings, strengthening teeth almost as much as natural tooth enamel.
- Unlike dental crowns, which fully encapsulate the whole tooth, inlays and onlays retain as much of the natural tooth form as possible, melding with the part of it that isn’t decayed or damaged.
- As they are similar in nature to the real thing, inlays and onlays are easier to maintain and clean than dental crowns and will retain their natural look and color better than fillings.
- Being that they are extremely sturdy and durable, inlays and onlays prolong tooth life and prevent the use of additional and more extensive dental work.
- Inlays and onlays can last up to 30 years; almost double the lifespan of fillings.
Based on many factors, there are situations in which fillings are the better option versus inlays and onlays. However, a determination is best made by a prosthodontist like Dr. Mamaly Reshad who is trained to evaluate the ideal treatment options for every patient.
Why You Should Get Inlays or Onlays at ArtLab Dentistry
The production and placement of dental inlays and onlays are a common service provided by a slew of dental clinics and dentists. The procedure may be commonplace; however, perfect results are anything but common.
Dr. Mamaly Reshad of ArtLab Dentistry is a step above the rest when it comes to the execution of flawless dental inlays and onlays procedures. Inherent to any complex dental procedure, including the placement of a dental inlays and onlays, skill, experience, training, talent, and a steady hand is essential. Dr. Mamaly Reshad possesses all these traits.
At ArtLab Dentistry, you will be under the care of one of the world’s leading prosthodontists, Dr. Mamaly Reshad.
Dr. Reshad is often the preferred choice for surgeons, periodontists, and dentists who refer him to the most difficult and challenging dental cases. Schedule a consultation today by calling us at 818-465-5041 or click the Schedule An Appointment below.
