Inlays and Onlays

A dental cavity means you have an area of decay on your tooth. This can be caused by poor brushing and flossing habits, lack of dental care, or a diet high in acidic and sugary foods and beverages. Most people will have at least one cavity in their lifetime, typically more than one.

At LN Dental Centre, we believe in prevention and customised treatment plans to lower our patients’ risks for cavities. This may mean one or more dental check-ups and teeth cleans per year.

After your dentist in Chester Hill identifies your tooth cavity through a visual exam or x-ray, we may treat it during your preventive exam or schedule your filling soon after.

This process calls for numbing the treatment site, gently clearing away the decay and closing your tooth with a tooth-coloured filling, a dental crown or an inlay or onlay. When the anaesthetic wears off, you may notice mild tenderness for a few hours, but this is treatable with a basic pain reliever.

An inlay is a solid and sturdy protectant that closes your cavity between the cusps or ridges of a tooth. An onlay, on the other hand, is designed to protect a larger area, including a cusp. Consider an onlay a dental crown—made of the same strong material—that does not cover your entire tooth. And like tooth coloured fillings and crowns, inlays and onlays can blend in with your natural tooth colour.

With proper brushing and flossing and regular dental visits for exams and teeth cleans, inlays and onlays could last for a decade or more.

Of course, prevention is always the best medicine. Regular dental visits and teeth cleans are your first line of defense, but brushing and flossing daily is crucial between visits to our Chester Hill dental clinic.

If you have not been to the dentist in a while, or if it’s time for your next check-up, we welcome your call. To get in touch, give us a call at (02) 9644 1499 or book an appointment today!