Less costly than a dental crown and more durable than most dental fillings, Dental Inlays and Onlays are used to restore large cavities without having to use a crown
When your tooth is too damaged to support a filling but not damaged enough for a dental crown, our Cosmetic Dentist in Buford, GA may recommend Dental Inlays or Onlays. Capping a damaged tooth unnecessarily with a dental crown removes more tooth structure than needed. But a large dental filling can weaken the remaining structure of the tooth, causing the tooth to break, crack or eventually need a root canal.
Our dentist prepares the tooth by removing any tooth decay. Once the tooth is prepared, an impression is made of the tooth’s structure and then sent to a dental laboratory. Depending on your budget and aesthetic needs, dental inlays/onlays can be made from gold, composite resin or porcelain. Since it will take approximately a week or so for our lab to create the inlay/onlay, our dentist will place a temporary dental filling to preserve the tooth.
The temporary filling is removed and the dental inlay/onlay is cemented onto the tooth.