Aesthetic Dentistry: Dental Inlay
In the field of conservative dentistry, the dental inlay technique certainly occupies a privileged position, which often offers advantages over traditional fillings.
Compared to the latter, it is an indirect technique, since the dentist makes use of the precious contribution of the dental technician in the preparation of a 'plug' to be inserted on the tooth, and therefore does not work directly on the tooth as in the case of a direct filling which is completed in one appointment.
In our practice we particularly care about this technique, because, with a few simple steps, it is possible to obtain a job that offers superior performance, which is why we take great care to recommend it to our patients.
The classic fillings, although they do their job very well, in certain cases cannot compete with the accuracy of the inlay which, prepared in the laboratory by hand or by computerized milling machines CAD CAM with very high precision does a masterful job. But let's take a closer look at what it is and when it is preferable to resort to dental inlay.
When a patient comes to the office for a visit and is diagnosed with caries, it is evaluated whether it is appropriate to resort to an inlay. This is because it is a great way to heal cavities created by caries, especially when they are very large.
When a caries has a small size, the best method is always that of a direct composite filling. When, on the other hand, the caries are in an advanced stage and have now attacked a larger portion and also affect the cusps of the teeth, for example when removing old amalgams of silver present in the mouth for a long time, then the ideal solution is represented by the inlay.
In fact, the preparation of the inlay in the laboratory allows you to study an ideal anatomy and to make very precise contacts with the teeth of the opposite arch. This is sometimes very difficult to achieve with composite restorations made directly in the mouth.
The final result is to reconstruct the anatomy of the tooth.
The inlays, against a slightly higher cost due essentially to the work of the dental laboratory and the need for a second appointment for cementation, have numerous advantages:
- High performance and reliability
- Ideal anatomy and contact accuracy
- Materials with very high level physical characteristics
- Aesthetics
The philosophy of the Bracchetti Dental Clinic is to combine the avant-garde of clinical performance and laboratory technologies, to meet the patient's needs, performing only the most conservative therapies possible in order to preserve the natural tissues (enamel and dentin) in the mouth. A dental inlay often allows you to save a compromised tooth, in cases where only a few years ago, it would have been necessary to proceed with more aggressive treatments such as root canals, crowns or even extractions and implants.
Materials and Durability
The materials used allow, after careful study, to faithfully reproduce the anatomy and natural shades of the teeth, and teeth treated with an inlay are often indistinguishable from natural ones. They can be ceramic or composite inlays, both have strengths and weaknesses and therefore precise indications which are evaluated based on the patient's personal conditions, state of health, position of the tooth, the diagnosis of any parafunctions (such as bruxism/ grinding) and the presence of other teeth already treated with prosthetic materials.
When a patient maintains good domestic hygiene, carries out periodic check-ups at the dentist and follows regular hygiene sessions, the inlays ensure great stability and durability .
Being an indirect technique, this will require at least two sessions; one for the preparation of the tooth and the impression, which can be conventional or optical digital through the use of a intraoral scanner, the other to apply the actual inlay thanks to cementation.
In the first session the tooth is cleaned of decay with the help of the rubber dam, in order to isolate the tooth in an optimal way. Then you take the prints and the color. In our office the impressions are often acquired digitally and this to the advantage of great precision, as well as for the maximum relaxation of the patient, who will not have to psychologically prepare to have the impressions taken in the traditional way with pastes, a process that is often annoying.
Once the inlay is planned and made in the laboratory, the patient returns to the office for the second session and the same is tried directly on site. After checking the accuracy of the contact points and the color and receiving the patient's confirmation to proceed, the inlay is cemented and the occlusion is checked again with great care. This is a delicate phase, which once again requires the isolation of the teeth to be treated with the rubber dam, so that the procedure has a perfect outcome.
Very often anesthesia is no longer even necessary at this stage, and even the most fearful of patients will be put at ease as they will not feel any discomfort.
The finished work is finally checked, finished and polished.
If you are also thinking of choosing the advantages of dental inlay, do not hesitate to contact us. In the Bracchetti Dental Clinic in Milan, we aim at maximum comfort for each patient, and at providing the best care for each individual case. And this includes both the professionalism of each operator of our medical staff and the availability in relation to any request that may be addressed to us.
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