Gold Inlays & Onlays
Gold inlays are fillings that can be placed instead of silver or white fillings. The benefits of gold inlays are that they fit so precisely and wear at the same rate as adjacent tooth structure. They are very inert, are resistant to corrosion, and also tend to outlast white and silver fillings
An inlay fits within the confines of the teeth. An onlay covers the entire chewing surface of the tooth. These can also be made out of of either plastic resin or porcelain but need to be made much thicker than gold for strength. As a result plastic or porcelain inlays and inlays need significant preparation of teeth whereas gold inlays and inlays can be very conservative.
The procedure involves removing decayed tooth structure or old fillings, preparing the tooth cavity, taking an impression of the cavity to fabricate a custom-fit inlay or onlay. Two visits are required to complete the treatment.
The following picture shows a picture of inlays and inlays :
