Inlays & Onlays Specialist
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Goli Javaher, DDS
Restorative & Cosmetic Dentist located in Los Angeles, CA
If you’re suffering from tooth decay, or you have a damaged tooth, your dentist might recommend an inlay or onlay. Also known as “indirect fillings” inlays and onlays provide stronger, longer-lasting cosmetic and restorative solutions than traditional crowns and fillings. At the practice of Goli Javaher, DDS in Brentwood, Los Angeles the team regularly applies inlays and onlays to address decay and prevent further damage. Call or click to request your appointment today.
Inlays & Onlays Q & A
What are dental inlays?
Dental inlays are a type of custom filling designed to address damage or decay to a permanent tooth. Unlike traditional crowns, that cover your entire tooth, dental inlays fill the areas between the cusps, or bumps, on the top of your teeth.
Dental inlays are typically made of composite resin or porcelain. They’re much more durable than traditional amalgam fillings, and mimic the color and light-reflecting properties of your natural tooth enamel.
How are dental inlays different than dental onlays?
The words inlays and onlays sound incredibly similar, but they’re actually two different things.
Onlays are a type of filling designed to address extensive damage like deep decay or problems with the chewing surfaces of your teeth. Inlays, on the other hand, treat minor damage such as cracks, chips, or flaking. If you have a tooth with minor decay, your dentist might also recommend an inlay.
How do I know if I’m a candidate for inlays or onlays?
The only way to determine if you’re a good candidate for inlays or onlays it to schedule an appointment with the team at the practice of Goli Javaher, DDS. Following an oral exam, review of your medical history, and discussion of your symptoms, your dentist develops a treatment plan that aligns with your needs.
Your provider might recommend an inlay if a traditional filling would weaken your tooth or if there isn’t enough tooth material to support a traditional dental crown. Dental inlays can also address damage that doesn’t affect the cusps of your teeth.
If you have deep decay or a portion of your tooth is missing, your dentist might recommend an onlay to restore it to it’s near-original form and function.
What is the process for receiving inlays or onlays?
Receiving inlays or onlays typically requires two separate appointments.
At your first appointment, your provider uses a local anesthetic to numb your teeth and gums. After the anesthesia sets in, your provider drills into the affected tooth, removing any damage or decay. Next, your dentist takes impressions of your teeth and sends them to a laboratory that manufactures your inlays or onlays.
A week or two later, you return for your second appointment. At your second appointment, your dentist once again administers a local anesthetic, and carefully affixes your inlay or onlay to your teeth using dental cement. The process usually takes less than 90 minutes.
If you’ve cracked, chipped, or damaged a tooth inlays and onlays are worth considering. Make an appointment with the team at the practice of Goli Javaher DDS by calling or clicking today.
