Advantages of Dental Inlays and Onlays
Replacing Old Fillings with Veneers can be Beneficial
Oct 1, 2009
Those with metal fillings, sensitive teeth or decaying, damaged teeth have many ways in which they can address these problems. One of the best is to get a dental implant in the form of an inlay or onlay, which function to replace damaged areas of teeth as well as stop decay from spreading further. Inlays and onlays protect the structural integrity of teeth as well, making them a great option for anyone who needs oral surgery to help a decaying tooth. Improvements in dental practices have made it much easier for people to keep as much of their original teeth as possible, even when that tooth has suffered some damage.
Benefits of Inlays
Inlays function by being placed within the tooth itself, below or between the cusps of teeth. Because damage in a tooth can spread, getting an inlay will stop that decay from progressing further. Inlays are made by taking an impression of the damaged tooth and having a veneer inlay created that will fit into the damaged portion of the tooth without changing the structure of the tooth in any way.
For those with sensitive teeth, inlays are a simple way to reduce or remove the effects of sensitivity. Metal fillings and caps can be painfully sensitive to hot and cold, but inlays are often made of porcelain or resin. In addition to being unaffected by temperature, porcelain and resin inlays can also be made to match the original color of the tooth, and be less noticeable than a metal filling. (Source: DocShop)
Benefits of Onlays
Onlays work in a similar way to inlays, except that they are placed onto the cusps of the tooth instead of between them. Onlays act much like caps in this way. Whereas inlays deal with damage between the cusps of teeth, onlays are meant to deal with one or more damaged cusps. Placed directly onto the tooth, an onlay helps prevent decay from spreading further into the tooth itself.
Getting an onlay also helps preserve the tooth’s structure, because it is placed over the top of the tooth and material from the surface of the tooth does not need to be removed. Having an onlay placed over a damaged tooth also helps the individual avoid needing more costly surgeries later on, like dental crowns, dental bridges or dental implants.
Like an inlay, an onlay can also be made from resin or porcelain in order to more closely match the color of the original tooth. (Source: World Dental)
Inlays and Onlays
Both inlays and onlays help with the reduction of sensitivity in teeth and prevent eventual tooth loss. Inlays and onlays also offer numerous other advantages
- The use of inlays and onlays allows dentists to preserve tooth structure in the process
- Inlays and onlays can help to strengthen teeth by as much as 75 percent
- Inlays and onlays will not change size in response to the temperature of food, as metal fillings do. This change in size can weaken teeth over time and cause them to fracture. Getting an inlay or an onlay prevents this weakening
- Both inlays and onlays can last for up to 30 years, much longer than traditional metal fillings
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