Restorative Dentistry
Inlays & Onlays
Laboratory-made ceramic restorations that repair a damaged back tooth without crowning it.
- Duration
- 3 to 4 days across two visits
- Recovery
- None
- Anaesthetic
- Local anaesthetic
Inlays & Onlays
An inlay sits within the cusps of a tooth, an onlay extends over one or more of them. Both are bonded ceramic, made outside the mouth to an exact fit, and both remove far less healthy tissue than a crown while lasting significantly longer than a large direct filling.
When a cavity is too wide for a direct filling but the tooth is not broken enough to justify a crown, an inlay or onlay occupies exactly that middle ground.
Benefits
- Preserves more healthy tooth than a crown
- No shrinkage gap, unlike a large direct filling
- Ceramic wears at a rate close to natural enamel
- Precise contact points restored in the laboratory
- Typically two appointments
The procedure
- 01 Removal of decay and old filling material
- 02 Cavity design and digital scan
- 03 Temporary restoration placed
- 04 Ceramic milled and characterised in the laboratory
- 05 Adhesive bonding under rubber dam
- 06 Bite refinement and polish
Technology
CAD/CAM lithium disilicate, rubber-dam isolation and adhesive bonding under magnification.
Aftercare
Nothing special beyond normal hygiene; the margin is the only vulnerable point, so keep flossing that contact.
In the treatment room
In our patients’ words
What convinced me was the mock-up. I walked around with the trial teeth for two days before anything was cut, and I could change the shape twice. The final result is exactly what I approved, not a surprise.
Katharina M.
Germany · Hollywood Smile
I had worn an upper denture for eleven years. The provisional bridge went in the same afternoon as the surgery. Six months later I ate a steak for the first time since 2013.
Pierre D.
France · All-on-4 Implants
I live in Moscow and flew in twice in fourteen months. Everything else was photographs through the app. Dr Volkova replied to my questions herself, not through an assistant.
Olga S.
Russia · Invisalign
