What is the Difference Between Inlays/Onlays and Regular Fillings?

In the past, patients who needed a dental filling had very limited options. Fillings were created in the tooth and came in only gold and silver amalgam. Modern day dentistry now offers new technology that provides experts and patients several different options when it comes to restoring the teeth. Regular dental fillings (using better and more discreet material) are still used, as well as what are called indirect fillings.

There are two types of indirect fillings – inlays and onlays. They differ from regular dental fillings in one main way. While regular (or direct) fillings are created in the mouth on the tooth in question, inlays and onlays are created outside of the mouth and placed in or on the tooth afterwards.

This is made possible with the use of CAD/CAM technology. Our Orange County dentist takes an image of your tooth or teeth, which is then turned into a 3D image and sent to a machine located right in our office. This milling machine uses the material chosen to create your restoration. Onlays are used for cavities that are just on the cusp, or outer layer, of the tooth, while inlays are for those that reach deeper.