An inlay is small and placed within the biting surface of the tooth.
An onlay can cover a larger area of the tooth.
These restorations are made in a laboratory. Your dental team will usually take an impression of the prepared cavity and send it to the laboratory for the technician to make the inlay or onlay. After the inlay or onlay has been made, your dentist will fix it in place with dental cement. This type of filling is more expensive. In the meantime, a temporary filling will be placed in the cavity. These restorations are made in gold, porcelain or laboratory-made-composite.
