Unbiased oral health information

Procedures

Inlays

Talk to your dentist about...

Only a dentist can diagnose or recommend treatment for your specific needs. Web-based research by a patient is no substitute for the extensive training and clinical experience of a dentist—but it can empower you to ask intelligent questions that can result in the best treatment for your unique needs. This page lists some things to keep in mind and offers some suggested questions you can ask your dentist about this topic.

If you have caries in one surface of a tooth, and your dentist has recommended an inlay to restore it, be sure you understand why the restoration will provide better durability, function or esthetics than a filling. Inlays are not commonly prescribed to treat pit and fissure cavities.

Ask how deep or involved the cavities in your tooth appear to be.

Ask if any complications might reasonably be anticipated in advance. Keep in mind that complications definitely can occur which cannot be reasonably anticipated; but if complications are expected, it's nice to know ahead of time.

If the "interproximal" (between the teeth) surfaces are involved in the procedure, ask if it would be difficult to restore the tooth with a filling in such a way that the adjacent teeth still touch afterwards (if they did to begin with). If the filling would be very large, it can be hard to get this "interproximal contact" tightly closed, and food may accumulate in the space. This can lead to food compaction injuries to the gums between the teeth, recurrent decay under the filling, movement of the teeth, and a bite shift.
Learn more: Diagnoses › Food compaction injuries
Learn more: Diagnoses › Recurrent caries

After the procedure, you'll be able to tell with floss if there is a good contact. It's good to know in advance if it's a possibility, because the tooth may require further treatment to get the contact closed. If you and your dentist anticipate the problem, and plan for what to do about it, a better treatment outcome will result. Prevention of open interproximal contacts is one of the strengths of inlays.

Besides brushing and flossing, ask if there is anything you can do to avoid this sort of problem in the future. Sometimes cavities arise due to complicating factors like xerostomia ("dry mouth"), which can be a side effect of certain medications. Local factors like malocclusion, poorly contoured dental restorations, and fixed partial dentures can increase the likelihood of getting cavities in teeth. If you're made aware of such conditions, ask what specific measures can be taken to avoid problems stemming from them.
Learn more: Procedures › Fixed partial dentures
Learn more: Diagnoses › Malocclusion
Learn more: Diagnoses › Poorly contoured dental restorations
Learn more: Diagnoses › Xerostomia