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Home  Dentistry Articles Onlay
Onlay
In dentistry and oral surgery, an onlay is
a method of tooth restoration, which covers, protects or reinforces
one or more cusps.
Tooth restoration can be achieved either by
direct or indirect procedements. Direct restorations include
amalgams or esthetic composite and should be employed in the
less invasive way as possible.
Onlay and inlay are methods for restoring teeth
in an indirect way. The most important characteristic is that
they compromise more dental tissue than the direct methods (thus
are more invasive), where onlays cover one or more cusps and
inlays do not cover any cusp: they are limited to the intra-cuspal
perimeter.
Onlays and inlays are oftenly used when teeth
present extense cavities due to caries, extensive tissue loss
due to trauma or caries as well and when direct restorations
lack retention.
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