Partial Dental Crown Restorations
Dental inlays and onlays are custom restorations for the biting and chewing surface of a tooth and are used when most of the crown is still intact. Inlays and onlays can be made from tooth colored porcelain, metal or gold. They are modeled to look and function like the original tooth surface that they replace.
The difference between an inlay and onlay is that the inlay lies between the cusps (e.g. the ridges of the tooth’s biting surface) and the onlay covers one or more cusps and is a more extensive restoration. Inlays and onlays are conservative restorations requiring less extensive preparation than a full crown. Both inlays and onlays are cemented onto the tooth’s surface.
Dental Inlay / Onlay Placement Procedure Time Frame
- Time to complete - Our team typically requires two dental visits to complete the placement of an inlay or onlay.
- 1st procedure visit - Our team will prepare the tooth and mold its surface for the inlay or onlay. Impressions of the tooth will be sent to a dental laboratory so that the custom partial crown can be fabricated. A temporary partial crown will be placed to protect the tooth until the permanent inlay or onlay is ready.
- 2nd visit - Our team will remove the temporary crown and cement the permanent inlay or onlay onto the tooth.