Dental inlays and Dental onlays are restorations used to repair rear teeth that have a mild to moderate amount of decay. They can also be used to restore teeth that are cracked or fractured if the damage is not severe enough to require a dental crown. Inlays and onlays are usually made from porcelain, composite resin, and sometimes even from metal.

Dental Inlays are used to treat teeth that have decay or damage lying within their indented top surfaces.

Dental Onlays Whereas dental inlays are designed to treat decay within the cusps, or top projections, of a tooth, onlays are used to treat decay that extends to one or more of the cusps. Onlays are placed in much the same way as inlays. Onlays also help to conserve more tooth structure because their use requires minimal removal a tooth’s surface. Perhaps their most important benefit, however, is that, in saving damaged teeth, onlays help patients avoid the eventual need for more extensive treatment with dental crowns , dental bridges, or dental implants.

• In treating dental decay, inlays and onlays help to eliminate tooth sensitivity and eventual tooth loss. Inlays and onlays also offer the following benefits:
• Since they can be made from tooth-colored material, including porcelain and composite resin, inlays and onlays are virtually invisible.
• The use of inlays and onlays requires less tooth reduction than does the use of metal fillings. This allows dentists to conserve more of a patient’s natural tooth structure in the treatment process.
• Because of the way inlays and onlays are made, they help to strengthen teeth by up to 75 percent.
• The durable material from which inlays and onlays are made helps them last longer than that of conventional fillings.
• Inlays and onlays can replace silver fillings to create a healthier, more natural-looking smile.
• By saving decayed teeth, inlays and onlays prevent the need for more extensive treatment later on.