Dental Inlays & Onlays in Beverly Hills, CA
Medically reviewed by Dr. Kayla Lebeau, DDS
The option between a filling and a crown
Sometimes a tooth is too broken down for a filling to hold, but nowhere near broken enough to justify cutting it down for a crown. An inlay or onlay fills exactly that gap.
Both are made outside the mouth from a single solid piece of porcelain or gold, then bonded into the tooth. An inlay sits inside the cusps, like a very precise filling. An onlay also covers one or more of the biting points, which is what protects a weakened cusp from splitting off.
The reason to care: an onlay keeps considerably more of your own tooth than a crown does. Enamel you still have is worth more than anything we can bond to it.
- Usually takesTwo visits
- NumbingLocal anesthetic
- MaterialPorcelain or gold
- Keeps more toothYes, compared with a crown
An inlay or onlay may suit you if
- A large old silver filling has cracked, or the tooth around it has
- There is not enough solid tooth left to hold a new filling reliably
- One cusp is weakened but the rest of the tooth is sound
- You want to avoid having the whole tooth shaped down for a crown
- You grind, and a bonded ceramic surface will hold up better than composite
How it is done
- Removing what has failedThe old filling and any decay under it come out under local anesthetic. Only then can we see how much sound tooth is actually left, and confirm an onlay is still the right choice.
- ShapingFar less aggressive than a crown preparation. We are creating a clean path for the restoration to seat, not reducing the tooth all the way around.
- A scan or impressionOf the tooth, the one opposite and your bite, so the lab can build the biting surface to match how you actually chew.
- A temporaryYou leave with the tooth protected and can eat normally, carefully, on that side.
- BondingThe finished piece is tried in, checked for fit and bite, then bonded with adhesive resin. That bond is part of the strength, an onlay and the tooth end up working as one unit.
Living with one
- Expect some cold sensitivity for a week or two while the tooth settles. It should be fading, not building.
- Floss normally. The margin between tooth and porcelain is where decay would start, and it is the one place a brush cannot reach.
- If your bite feels high, come back and let us adjust it. Do not wear it in, a fraction too tall will make the tooth ache.
- If you grind, ask about a night guard. Ceramic is hard but it is not indestructible.
What is the difference between an inlay and an onlay?
An inlay sits within the cusps of the tooth. An onlay extends over one or more cusps to protect them. Which you need depends on how much of the biting surface has been lost.
Why not just have a large filling?
Composite shrinks slightly as it sets, and in a very large cavity that shrinkage stresses the remaining walls. A solid piece made outside the mouth and bonded in does not have that problem.
Why not just have a crown?
You can, and sometimes a crown is genuinely the right answer. But a crown means reducing the tooth all the way around. If enough sound tooth remains, keeping it is the better long-term decision.
How long do they last?
Comparable to crowns, commonly well over ten years. What ends them is decay at the margin, so it comes back to flossing.
Can you see it?
A porcelain onlay is matched to the tooth and is very difficult to spot. Gold is visible but is exceptionally kind to the opposing teeth, which is why some people choose it at the back.
Does it hurt?
No. The appointments are done under local anesthetic, and afterwards it is ordinary post-treatment sensitivity.
Find out if your tooth can be kept
- (310) 860-6969Someone here answers.
- Request a visitWe will call to confirm.
- Pick a time onlineChoose your own slot.
