Porcelain inlays are used where the amount of tooth structure lost, whether from wear, decay or trauma, is too great for a filling to work, but where a crown is not required.
An inlay is designed to repair the central part of a back tooth. It’s made of porcelain, a beautiful material that’s indistinguishable from natural teeth and causes no reaction in the surrounding gum.
The inlay is designed in a laboratory, based on a model we create from impressions of your mouth at our Weybridge dental practice and fits snugly into the cavity in your damaged tooth. It is bonded into place, creating a strong and hard wearing restoration enabling you to chew without fear of the tooth cracking or chipping.
Our high quality porcelain inlays will blend in beautifully with your natural tooth colour, creating a restoration that is virtually invisible.
Preparing your tooth for an inlay takes away less of the natural material than a crown does. Inlays can be an especially effective treatment option in areas where heavy chewing occurs, to provide a strong, hard wearing restoration.
When fitting an inlay your dentist will use a local anaesthetic to numb the area around the tooth before a drill, air abrasion instrument or laser is used to remove the decayed area — the choice of instrument depends on the location and extent of the decay.
Once the decay has been removed, your dentist will prepare the space for the inlay by cleaning the cavity of bacteria and debris and if the decay is near the root they may insert a liner to protect the nerve.