Types of Dental Inlays, Onlays and Overlays
Inlays, onlays and overlays can be made of porcelain, gold, or glass ionomer.
- Porcelain and glass mimics the tooth enamel’s translucency and color. Therefore it makes teeth look more attractive and natural.
- Gold alloy possess greater durability.

Advantage
- Gold does not corrode.
- Some people like the gold color better than the silver color of amalgam.
- Gold fillings are durable enough to withstand chewing forces.
Disadvantage
- Gold is higher costs
- Possiblility of “galvanic shock” if both gold and amalgam fillings are right next to each other

Advantage
- Ceramics are tooth-colored thus provides good aesthetics.
- They are more resistant to stains and abrasion than composite resin.
Disadvantage
- Ceramics are more brittle than composite resin.
- A ceramic inlay, onlay, overlay need to be large enough to prevent it from breaking.

Advantage
- Glass ionomer matches the color of the teeth.
- In some cases, no drilling is needed to place a glass ionomer filling.
- Glass ionomers release fluoride, thus helps protect the tooth from further decay.
- Its restorations bond (stick) to the tooth. This helps to prevent leakage around the filling and further decay.
Disadvantage
- Traditional glass ionomer is significantly weaker than composite resin.
- There may be a need for increased treatment time as a thin layer needs to be cured before the next layers is placed