When an inlay is the right choice
Between the direct filling and the full crown lies an important range: defects too large for a filling but too small for a crown. This is where inlays, onlays and partial crowns come in. They are fabricated to fit precisely in the lab and then bonded into the tooth. This restores a larger, load-bearing defect in a back tooth stably, without having to grind down the whole tooth.
The guiding principle is the preservation of healthy substance. We restore only what is necessary. Where the transition from filling to inlay and from there to crown lies is covered in the comparisons composite or inlay and inlay or crown.
Inlay, onlay or partial crown
The terms describe how much of the tooth the restoration covers. An inlay sits within the cusps, an onlay additionally covers one or more cusps, and a partial crown covers still more of the chewing surface without encircling the tooth completely. Which form fits depends on how much healthy substance still bears load. We assess that on the individual tooth.
From our own laboratory
Our ceramic restorations are made in our in-house laboratory in Zurich. Short distances between practice and lab mean single accountability for fit and colour and close coordination on the detail. Full ceramic is dimensionally stable, load-bearing and kept in the colour of your tooth.
How the treatment works
After preparing the defect we take a digital or conventional impression. On this basis the lab fabricates the restoration while a temporary protects the tooth. At the second visit we bond the inlay adhesively, check fit and bite, and polish the surface. If you need a more comprehensive restoration with crowns or bridges, you will find it under crowns and bridges.
