Inlays are used when the cavity is too large for a simple filling. The inlay is fabricated as
a simple solid piece of porcelain to fit in the specific shape and size of the cavity. The
inlay Is then cemented into place
Onlays are larger than an inlay but not as large as a crown. This restoration covers a
cusp of a tooth and is fabricated as a single solid piece of porcelain.
There are times when the damage done to a tooth by decay is too extensive to be treated with a simple filling, yet not significant enough to need a full-coverage crown. In these cases, the best option for restoring the tooth may be an inlay or onlay.
Both inlays and onlays are considered “indirect” fillings, meaning that they are fabricated outside the mouth (usually by a dental laboratory or in house with the use of a cerec machine) and then bonded to the tooth by the dentist. This is in contrast to a “direct” filling, which is applied directly to the cavity by the dentist in one office visit.
An indirect filling is considered an “inlay” when it fits within the little points or “cusps” of a back (premolar or molar) tooth. It is an “onlay” if it covers one or more of these cusps. Either way, the procedure for placing an inlay or onlay is the same.
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