Dental inlays and onlays are used to restore a damaged or decayed tooth’s biting surface. They are bigger than fillings and smaller and more conservative than crowns. Inlays and onlays can be made from porcelain, composite resin or gold.
Dental inlays are similar to fillings and lie within indented top surfaces of a tooth. They are individually made to match your tooth's specification and are then cemented into place. Dental onlays are a more extensive reconstruction and are used to treat decay/damage that extends to one or more of cusps.
Onlays conserve more tooth structure when compared to a placement of a crown because their use requires minimal removal a tooth’s surface