Sometimes we feel that a tooth requires a more conservative treatment than a crown. Inlays and onlays are an option for restoring teeth that have been damaged by tooth decay or have some structural issues that do not require full crown placement.
Dr. J. Steven Smith has helped many patients restore their smile with inlays and onlays. These restorations can strengthen compromised teeth and keep your smile looking as good as new for years to come. Dr. Smith is only a handful of dentists to perform gold cast inlays. He has performed more than 8,000 restorations in the last 10 years and continues to achieve great results from this procedure.
You may need an inlay when there is only damage to the cusps of the tooth. In this case, we only need to rebuild a small part of the chewing surface so the teeth appear more even and you do not have any bite problems.
If you have more extensive damage to the tooth, an onlay will cover a larger area. Sometimes we need to place onlays on one or more tooth cusps to even out the bite and create a smooth, natural-looking result.
Both inlays and onlays are designed to repair the surface of the teeth after cavities and tooth damage. We will use high-quality materials to fill the tooth and then preserve the tooth structure with an inlay or onlay. Benefits of gold cast inlays and inlays compared to other materials include:
Consider the benefits of inlays and onlays.