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Inlays and Onlays are unique, personalized dental restorations designed to repair decayed and damaged teeth. They are custom-made to replace smaller parts of the tooth that are lost due to decay. Inlays are quite similar to dental fillings, and they are placed inside the cusp tips of the tooth. At Aye Dental, we believe every smile is unique, and therefore, each smile requires a different approach to achieve perfection. For that reason, we offer inlays and onlays in Chula Vista to meet the specific needs of every smile.

What are Inlays and Onlays?

Inlays and onlays are dental treatments for repairing damaged molars and premolars that are not capable of supporting a basic filling. However, they may not be damaged to the extent that they need a crown fixed on the tooth. The critical factor here is that for an Inlay, only a part of the tooth is covered. An inlay will include pits and fissures of a tooth to actually encompass the chewing surface between the cusps. Onlays involve one or more cusps that need to be covered.

What are Inlays and Onlays made of?

Traditionally Inlays and Onlays have been made from gold, and it continues to be the most commonly used material. However, subsequently, porcelain began to take precedence for the purpose since it offered greater aesthetics being the same color as a tooth.

In recent years, ceramic materials have increasingly been used for inlays and onlays. The best part is that ceramic materials allow inlays and onlays to be created and fitted in one appointment. This is possible because the dentist does not need to take an impression as a machine does the 3D scanning.

When is an Inlay Recommended?

When a tooth is planned to be restored but the decay or fracture is quite extensive then a direct restoration with amalgam or composite may not always work. In such cases, to improve the structural integrity of the restored tooth and to make it possible to respond to the biting force of the teeth, an indirect inlay restoration is advised. Inlays and Onlays are recommended when teeth are weakened and extensively restored.

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When inlays are done, the tooth so restored has minimal chances of recurrent decay. In contrast, direct filling with paste materials could shrink a bit in volume during the hardening process. This may cause shrinkage stress and sometimes, in rare cases, lead to marginal gaps and failure. However, there are very good chances that this may not happen looking into the fact that composite resins have vastly improved in quality. But solid inlays absolutely exclude this problem. Also another benefit of inlays over direct fillings is that there are no limitations in the choice of material.

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Inlays are usually much more expensive than direct restorations. This is obviously because Inlays are superior in terms of resistance to biting and chewing forces that affect teeth. Also, they protect against recurrent decay and can be undertaken with very precise fabrication. Additionally they can be very properly contoured for the best results of safeguarding tissue health. It is seen that metal inlays are much more superior in strength which is why gold is usually the material of choice.