Inlays and Onlays in Antioch

When you need to repair teeth with mild to moderate decay or that are cracked and fractured, your dentist may use inlays and onlays, which is often done when the damage is not sufficient enough for a crown.

Fillings are needed to fill in or rebuild when there is a small amount of decay in a tooth. But when the decay or damage becomes larger, it is better to use inlays or onlays while there is still a good amount of healthy tooth structure.

At this point, a crown may be considered too excessive. It is up to your dentist to decide whether inlays or onlays can be used instead of a crown. The big benefit of using inlays or onlays is being able to preserve as much of the natural tooth structure as possible.

What is a dental inlay?

Inlays are made of a solid piece that fits the specific shape and size of a cavity and cemented in place on the tooth. Inlays are used when the cavity is too large for a filling and usually only fills in the area between the cusps. It can be made of tooth-colored ceramic, porcelain or other dental composite.

What is a dental onlay?

Fabricated as one solid piece, the onlays cover a cusp of a tooth and can extend onto the surface of a back tooth to replace one or more cusps. Similar to the inlays, it can be made of tooth-colored ceramic, porcelain or other dental composite.

Types of Inlays and Onlays

There are three main types to choose from:

• Composite: this option can give you a natural-looking appearance and can be completed in one visit compared to other materials
• Gold: durable and resistant to wear and tear, gold material is superior to other materials but is not as popular due to its cost and appearance
• Porcelain: with its tooth-colored features, porcelain is the most common and popular choice with better aesthetics and offers full functional restoration

To 10 benefits of Inlays and Onlays

Here are the top 10 reasons why choosing inlays and onlays will help preserve your oral health and improve your smile:

1. Better preservation: inlays and onlays can preserve more of the natural tooth structure than crowns
2. Conservative: there is less tooth reduction with inlays and onlays than a crown, which can remove a bigger portion of your tooth
3. Cost Effective: inlays and onlays may be more expensive than fillings but durability is a worthwhile investment.
4. Durability: results can last up to 30 years with proper oral health care
5. Natural-looking appearance: inlays and onlays can mirror the appearance of the surrounding teeth
6. No downtime: once you leave after your procedure, there is no downtime
7. One visit: you can get all of the procedure done in one day thanks to advanced technology
8. Preservation: they preserve more of your tooth’s natural structure
9. Restores your smile: inlays or onlays can return your teeth to their natural form and restore your smile

Antioch Premier Dental

Our Antioch dentist will use inlays and onlays to help solve your existing situation and preserve your oral health moving forward. We can get you the best inlays and onlays Antioch has to offer you. Our family friendly practice has been helping residents of Contra Costa County with their oral health needs for a long time.