Why Does Your Dentist Want to Fit an Inlay on Your Tooth?
Posted on: 27 November 2018
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When you went to your dentist with a toothache, you expected to have a filling. However, your dentist takes a look at the tooth and tells you that they want to fit an inlay instead.
What is an inlay, and why does your dentist want to use one instead of a filling?
What's the Difference Between Fillings and Inlays?
Dentists use both fillings and inlays to treat decayed or damaged teeth. These treatments work in slightly different ways.
When you have a filling, your dentist drills out and cleans damaged areas on the tooth and then fills the hole with a soft composite filling material. They then sculpt the filling to give it a smooth fit on the tooth before it hardens.
When you have an inlay fitted, the dentist prepares the damaged tooth in the same way as they would for a filling. But rather than filling the tooth with composite, your dentist puts a hard inlay shell in the hole and glues it down. This shell is not malleable.
Inlays are typically used to fix problems in the centre of a tooth. They are specially made from strong materials like porcelain or ceramics and will be made or modified to fit the cavity hole in your tooth exactly.
When Are Inlays Used?
Some tooth decay or damage can be fixed with a simple filling. However, if you have a lot of decay or the tooth is badly damaged, then your dentist may feel that a filling won't be big enough to plug the gap. It may not be strong enough to keep the tooth protected and strong on its own.
On the other hand, your dentist may not feel that the decay or damage is so bad that the tooth needs to be removed and given a crown or an implant. They need a solution that falls between a filling and tooth removal and replacement.
This is where an inlay comes in. Inlays do the same job as fillings by working on a tooth rather than removing it. However, inlays actually more closely resemble crowns in the way they work. If you're dealing with a large hole in the tooth, then an inlay gives strong and complete coverage over the area it fills.
Your dentist may simply feel that this is a more effective long-term solution than filling the tooth. If you aren't sure, ask your dentist to tell you more about inlays and their benefits.