Your teeth are very strong, but they are still susceptible to damage. For example, if good oral hygiene habits like regular brushing and flossing are not kept, teeth could become affected with tooth decay (cavities). Additionally, injury or trauma could cause damage to teeth. Small areas of damage, such as cavities, can usually be effectively treated with a dental filling, while serious damage or decay may call for a crown. Sometimes, however, the damage falls in between these two situations, where a filling is not sufficient to treat the problem, but a crown would require excessive dental work. For these cases, a dental inlay or onlay could be the answer. Your dentist at Monarch Dentistry can examine the damaged tooth or teeth in order to determine the best treatment for you in Ontario.

Benefits of inlays and onlays

Both restorations are custom-made for a patient and are bonded to an affected tooth or teeth. In this way, they effectively repair damage and restore functionality and appearance to a tooth. Benefits of both restorations include:

Preserve more of the natural tooth (dental crowns require a certain portion of a tooth to be filed down)
Look natural
Strengthen the structure of a tooth
Are durable and withstand forces well

Dental inlay

Dental inlays are used when the damage on a tooth is located between the cusp tips (in the center of the tooth). They are made of tooth-colored materials such as ceramic, porcelain, or composite to produce a natural-looking restoration. To have an inlay placed in Ontario, any decay will first be removed from a tooth. It will then be cleaned before an impression will be taken of it. A dental lab will use the impression to create the inlay. A temporary covering will be placed on the prepared tooth to keep it protected until the inlay is ready to be placed. Once it has been completed, the inlay will be bonded onto the prepared tooth.

Dental onlay

If the damage on a tooth is located on the cusp, or if multiple teeth are affected, an onlay will be used. The process for creating and placing onlays is the same for an inlay.

To treat a damaged tooth in Ontario, contact Monarch Dentistry to discuss the possibility of having inlays or onlays placed.