subject: Inlays And Onlays - Restore Your Smile [print this page] Dental inlays and onlays are one of the modern day cosmetic dental procedures used to repair rear teeth that have minimal tooth decay. They are also performed to restore fractured or cracked teeth in case of very less damage. Inlays and onlays are generally made up of porcelain, composite resin and sometimes gold.
Inlays
Generally inlays are carried out to treat teeth that have decay or damage on their top surfaces. Usually it takes up to two visits to your cosmetic dentist. During the first visit, your dentist will take an impression of your tooth and place a temporary inlay on the tooth. Then the impression will be sent to a dental lab where your inlay will be matched to your tooth's specifications. In the next or final visit, your dentist will remove your temporary placed inlays and place the permanent over your tooth.
Onlays
Onlays are used to treat decay that extends to one or more of the cusps. Procedure of onlays is very similar to inlays. It is placed much in the same manner as inlays with an impression being taken first and a temporary onlays being placed over the tooth. The impression is sent to a lab, where a dental technician creates the onlays according to the tooth's dimensions. In the next visit, dentist removes the temporary and the permanent restoration is placed on the tooth and bonded securely using high-strength dental resins. Similar to inlays, onlays can also be created from tooth-colored material, which makes them nearly invisible.
It will be easy for you to clean the teeth with inlays and onlays, since they fit extremely well and close to the tooth. Inlays or onlays are an exceptional way to fix a cavity that is in between two teeth. While taking care of those areas that have decayed or been damaged, they also maintain a maximum amount of healthy tooth. They help to seal out bacteria too.
Success rates of inlay and onlays are very high and it's nearly 100%. Cost of an inlay or onlays depends on various factors like location, material you choose for your procedure and dentist. Typically an inlay ranges between $600 and $800 and onlays is slightly more expensive and its ranges somewhere around $800 to $1,000. It varies from place to place.
Inlays and onlays can actually make a tooth stronger than it was before. They are also proven to be extremely strong and stable.
