Inlays

My Dentist Has suggested I have an 'Inlay' - Please explain?

If a cavity in a tooth is particularly large, your dentist may suggest that instead of having a regular filling put in, you have an 'inlay'. The main reason for this is that in very large cavities you need a material that is going to 'bond' your remaining tooth structure together rather than just filling in the hole.

An inlay is laboratory made and fits into the cavity of your tooth like a filling. The exception is that the materials and glues involved in this procedure are far superior to anything your dentist can do on the spot, and are made especially for you.

Two visits are required. The first visit usually lasts approximately 30-45 minutes. During this visit your dentist will 'prepare' your tooth in such a way that the inlay can just slot in (above). He/she will then take impressions using putty which is then sent to the laboratory to be made - this takes 10-14 days. You will be given a temporary filling in between visits which your dentist can remove easily.

The second visit is needed in order to fit the inlay and doesn't tend to take as long as the preparatory stage. The tooth is etched (ie. in layman's terms 'made rough') a glue is applied and then a cement is used to finalize the procedure. As soon as this is done and the cement made hard, you can treat the tooth like any other.