Inlays and onlays - what do they look like?
A dental inlay is a treatment to help restore a tooth that has been damaged or decayed. You can also get onlays which cover both the body and the cusp of teeth, whereas inlays don’t usually cover the cusps(or points) of your teeth.
The inlay will incorporate the pre-existing tooth more fully, often sitting on or in it, rather than covering it entirely. Inlays are used due to their strength and durability and offer great restoration to teeth that have been weakened or suffered fractures.
In addition to providing reinforcement for your teeth they also come in a range of materials, meaning you have a lot of aesthetic options to choose from.
• The inlay can be created to resemble the natural tooth, with compositeSingle surface composite filling (white or tooth colored) performed on a tooth in the front of the mouth. or ceramic inlays allowing for the shade that matches the existing enamelHard calcified tissue covering dentin of the crown of tooth..
• You may opt for gold inlays, which are more expensive although they are also the most durable and strongest.
Furthermore, inlays give the dentist greater flexibility in creating something that is more personalised to you in terms of shape, fit and colour as they are custom built, meaning they can design better contours than a regular fillingA lay term used for the restoring of lost tooth structure by using materials such as metal, alloy, or porcelain..
The good news is, that your dentist will be able to show you examples of potential inlays during a consultation. Your dentist can inspect your teeth and make early suggestions on how he or she can shape the tooth to look as natural as possible.
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