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When you have cavities, you also have no shortage of treatment options. Fillings and crowns are certainly the most well known treatments for tooth decay, but they are not the only options. Depending on your individual situation, dental inlays and onlays are a restorative dentistry option that could be the perfect solution to restore your teeth to good health with minimal dental work.

Inlays and Onlays?

Inlays and onlays are custom molded structures made of porcelain or composite resin that can fill in the space left behind by tooth decay or damage. These structures can be thought of as a halfway point between fillings and crowns - they are used when a tooth is damaged to the point where a filling is no longer sufficient, but the tooth is not damaged enough to necessitate a full dental crown. While both inlays and onlays are able to offer greater support for the structure of your tooth, the two types have different characteristics and work in slightly different ways.  

• Dental Inlays: Dental inlays are smaller restorative structures that are fitted and bonded within the indentation of your tooth’s biting surface.
• Dental Onlays: Dental onlays are made of the same material as inlays, but cover a wider surface area. Onlays can encompass the entire biting surface of a tooth, including the cusps, and are used when damage to a tooth extends further than an inlay can cover. These are also bonded to your remaining tooth structure.

During your consultation, your dentist will be able to assess the extent of decay or damage affecting your teeth and make a recommendation as to whether an inlay or onlay would be the best choice to correct the issue.

What Are the Benefits of Inlays and Onlays?

Porcelain inlays and onlays may not be well known, but they come with many benefits that could make them a desirable choice compared to other dentistry options: 

• A More Natural Look and Color: Unlike dental crowns that cover your entire tooth, inlays and onlays only cover the tops of your teeth. Because of this, you are able to preserve more of your natural tooth and retain a natural look that matches the rest of your teeth.
• Strengthening Your Teeth: Inlays and onlays perform a much bigger function than just filling in space left behind by tooth decay. By bonding a durable material like porcelain or composite resin to the damaged area of your tooth, inlays and onlays can substantially strengthen the tooth and provide extra stability. Your tooth is actually stronger after the restoration is completed than it was when the procedure was started. 
• Protection Against Further Decay: Inlays and onlays are bonded tightly to your affected tooth, creating a strong seal and protecting the surface of your tooth against the return of further decay. With proper home care and regular dental check-ups, your inlay or onlay can last forever.

Discuss Dental Inlays and Onlays with Your Restorative Dentist Today

If you are suffering from tooth decay or damage, you have several options - and in the case of inlays, onlays, crowns and fillings, the road less traveled may be the best path to take. Contact Todd Holton, DMD, and his friendly experienced staff at Advanced Dental Health to schedule an appointment and find out if dental inlays or onlays could be the right choice for you.