If you need cosmetic dentistry work, there are many potentially confusing terms floating around. Whether you need a porcelain inlay or an onlay may be one confusing question, too! At Luxe Dental Spa, we’re here to help you get the beautiful smile you deserve while prioritizing your comfort and your best dental health experience. Today, we’ll discuss the difference between porcelain inlays and porcelain onlays so you can better understand these two treatments and which might be better for your dental health.
Porcelain Inlays vs. Onlays: What’s The Difference?
Porcelain Inlays
Porcelain inlays are a form of indirect filling, which is designed to help cover cavities or damaged areas of your tooth as a way to protect the tooth from further damage or decay. While inlays can be made from different kinds of materials, such as composites, gold, or silver, they are most commonly created from tooth-colored porcelain. This is because tooth-colored porcelain is a durable material that will most easily blend in with your teeth, creating a more discreet and comfortable outcome for the patient.
Porcelain Onlays
Porcelain onlays are another type of indirect filling. This treatment may also be created from composite materials, gold, silver, or porcelain. Onlays are also more often created from tooth-colored porcelain, especially since this treatment is usually placed on the surface and over one or more of the chewing cusps of your tooth, making it more visible if it is not the same color as the teeth underneath. Much like inlays, onlays are also used to treat decaying, damaged, or traumatized teeth, and are intended to be permanent treatments for the patient’s oral health.
Major Differences
The main differences between these two types of indirect fillings for damaged teeth lie in where they are placed to protect your teeth, as indicated by the difference in their names. Porcelain inlays are fitted, molded, and cemented inside of the chewing area of your teeth, helping to protect your chewing ability in those teeth. On the other hand, porcelain onlays are fitted and cemented to the exterior of your teeth and over at least one of the chewing cusps, helping to protect your ability to chew and bite with those teeth.
Which Is Right For You?
Which of these treatments is right for your dental health depends on the type of tooth damage or decay you are dealing with. If your tooth damage consists of decay, damage, or improperly sized fillings on one of the teeth in the back of your mouth, where you chew, an inlay may be more appropriate for your needs. However, if you need protection and treatment for a tooth cusp, a tooth toward the front of your mouth, or just on the surface of a tooth, an onlay may be your best option.
Learn more about porcelain onlays and porcelain inlays today! Luxe Dental Spa is here to help with the dental care you deserve so you can have the beautiful, healthy smile you’ve always wanted. Schedule your appointment today!