Gold or Porcelain Inlays and Onlays for Fillings

Food particles, residual sugar and bacteria in your mouth can cause cavities on your teeth. Without daily cleaning and twice annual dental checkups these areas can develop minor amounts of tooth decay in the enamel. When this happens your dentist will often recommend filling the cavity to repair the tooth before the decay can advance and cause larger problems.

The biting surface of your molars and premolars can sometimes have contours and pits that are hard to clean. When tooth decay forms in these areas it can sometimes create large cavities. These large cavities often require a special type of filling called inlays or onlays.

An inlay covers the cusp of a biting surface, while an onlay covers the cusp and might include some of the lost enamel on the side of a tooth. They are commonly made from gold or porcelain. These fillings must be made at a lab.

During the initial procedure your dentist will make an impression for the lab to use as a template. Then they will fill the cavity with a temporary resin material. At the second appointment the temporary filling is removed and the gold or porcelain filling is cemented into place.

If you have a cavity in one of your teeth please feel free to call us at 303-935-3574 to schedule an appointment.