Inlay is a kind of filling,which is prepared on the basis of impressions at the dental technical laboratory, and which is fixed with special glue after taking the impression. It is long-lasting and aesthetic, and it is excellently suitable for the replacement of largely destroyed areas by caries.
In case of caries of the mandibular teeth it often occurs, that a larger part of the tooth is damaged. It is excellently suitable for the replacement of old, large amalgam fillings and for the covering filling of teeth after a tooth canal therapy.
Light-curing fillings (which are prepared by the dentist at the surgery) are more difficult to be fixed in larger cavities, so they can fall out easier. While hardening the larger filling material is shrinking in a greater extent, so the edge occlusion is not perfect. With the help of the inlays the undamaged part of the damaged tooth tissue can be saved and preserved.
The basic material of the inlay can be composite (synthetic resin), ceramics or gold.