Aura Dental

Inlays & Onlays

Aura Dental £ St. John's Wood 020 7722 0040 Aura Dental

Quote Left I have been going to Aura Dental for several years and could not be happier with them. I recently had an onlay and several fillings, and their professionalism and scheduling flexibility is great. Highly recommend Quote Right

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What is an onlay?

Decayed or chipped teeth can often be repaired with white composite fillings that look natural, however if the damage is too substantial, particularly on the back teeth, then an inlay or onlay would be recommended. Inlays or onlays can be made from a number of strong materials such as metals or ceramics however, the dentist will need to have stronger fillings made in a laboratory.

  • An inlay is used for this purpose and as the name suggests it fits inside the tooth.
  • An onlay covers the top of the tooth and is used for worn teeth, or where the remaining tooth needs strengthening to prevent it breaking away.
Inlay Onlay

Sometimes a combination of both is used. They are either cemented or bonded to the natural tooth.

They can be made of gold, non-precious metals, porcelain or special plastics. The choice depends on the position in the mouth in which they are to be placed, the strength of the bite, whether the patient grinds their teeth, and to some extent the wish to have a tooth coloured filling.

There are two stages in fitting these devices:

The first is the preparation of the cavity and the taking of an impression of the cavity and of the opposing teeth so the bite can be made correctly. A temporary filling is then fitted. The impression is sent to a laboratory and the filling is constructed.

The second is the fitting. The tooth may need to be numbed to prevent discomfort during the fitting. There could also be a need for some minor adjustments to the bite but that is all.

As there are two stages and some quite complex laboratory work, they are more expensive than ordinary fillings but less than crowns. They last between ten and 15 years, which is probably longer than ordinary fillings and about the same as crowns.

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