West Edmonton Dental Inlays & Onlays

• Inlays fill in cavities and hollows in the tooth, mainly encompassing the chewing surface of your tooth. Unlike a filling, which uses a composite material to fill the space left from the tooth decay and is a quick process taking only a single visit, an inlay uses a single piece of material fabricated in the lab to fill in the space; it is made in the precise shape and size of the cavity space. Inlays are typically used when the cavity is too large for a simple filing, yet the cavity has not yet progressed into more extensive tooth decay (which might then require a crown. Crowns cover the entire biting surface of the tooth completely, including the tooth structure above the gum line, while inlays fit into the grooves of your tooth only).
• Onlays are a more substantial construction than an inlay, but not quite a crown. They do more than just fill in cavities in areas of the chewing surface; they also extend out and cover more of the tooth. They are characterized by the fact that they cover a cusp of the tooth and are fabricated as a single, solid piece.

Because inlays and onlays do not cover the entire tooth the way a crown does, less tooth preparation is needed as compared to dental crowns, which allows more of your tooth’s natural structure to remain in place.