The main difference of this type of filling is in its material. Ceramics is ideally similar to the enamel of a tooth by its properties.

Such a filling is a modern-day alternative to a composite filling.

Modern dentistry offers two methods of dental restoration: direct and indirect. The first involves carrying out work directly in a patient's mouth in one visit.

Nowadays, indirect restoration, including the use of ceramic inlays, is finding more and more widespread use. The essence of the method is that the restoration is performed in a laboratory, and not in an oral cavity. This allows to shorten the time the patient spends in the dental chair, and also makes it possible to carry out large-extent restorations in a short time.

A ceramic inlay on a tooth is a micro-prosthesis made in a laboratory or a dental office using an indirect method. Being an independent structure, it perfectly restores the chewing functions, shape, colour and aesthetics of a decayed tooth. Ceramics is a durable and stable material that dentists prefer to composite due to its high aesthetic and mechanical properties.

Benefits of inlays

The advantages of inlays include significant strength, fit accuracy, aesthetics and functionality. From the viewpoint of hygiene, the ceramic inlay is second to none, as it does not accumulate plaque.

Besides:

• - a ceramic inlay is able to fully imitate the anatomy of a natural tooth;
• - as a rule, caries does not develop under an inlay. This is achieved by a constant volume of ceramics, good marginal adhesion and no material shrinkage; the gap between the tooth wall and the inlay can be only 25-60 microns.
• - Compared to the composite, ceramics have better biological compatibility with the hard tissues of the teeth;
• - An inlay is installed at one time, which reduces the risk of saliva getting on the restored tooth, prevents the lack of tightness of the connection with the tooth tissues, the appearance of overhanging edges and, therefore, the development of secondary caries,
• - long service life - up to 10 years.

The only issue may be the cost of a ceramic inlay on the tooth, since this is a rather laborious process. At the same time, they do not need to be changed every 2-3 years like composite fillings, there is no need to install more expensive crowns or implants, so the price is quite justified.

Inlays overlapping tubercles (such as overlays) can be an organ-preserving alternative to the use of full crowns for the restoration of significant defects in the chewing surface of a tooth.

Indications for installing ceramic inlays on teeth

Indications for the installation of inlays are defects in the crown of the teeth and irreversible destruction of hard tissues, which may result from:

• - caries complications and death of tooth pulp,
• - pathological abrasion,
• - traumatic injuries.

After a dentist’s examination and determination of the indications for indirect restoration, a plan of treatment using inlays is drawn up, which takes place in several stages.

The care of ceramic inlays is the same as of your own teeth. Brushing twice daily with a toothpaste, a toothbrush, flossing and professional cleaning every six months are the prerequisites for ceramics to last up to 10 years.

The production of ceramic inlays for patients allows to reduce the percentage of treatment failures with extensive carious cavities, provides comfort for patients with extensive crown defects, functionality, long service life of restorations, tooth preservation and aesthetics.