There are times when a tooth suffers damage that is too extensive to be treated with a simple filling — but not extensive 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 (generally at a dental laboratory), and then bonded to the tooth.
This is in contrast to a “direct” filling, which is applied directly to the cavity 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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