Dental inlays and veneers are both methods of repairing a tooth. But in fact, there are big differences between the two methods, and there are differences in materials, production methods and indications.

Therefore, it is recommended that you choose a treatment plan suitable for you. As one of the methods of tooth repair, a lot of patients have probably not heard of a dental inlay or a veneer, so what exactly are they? What’s the difference?

Dental Inlay

The difference between inlays and traditional dental fillings is that dental inlays are used only to fill in the space between the rounded edges of the tooth, at the center of its chewing surface. Dental inlays fill in a tooth that is too damaged to be considered for a filling but not severe enough for a crown. Once the decay has been removed, cleaned and disinfected a mold of the tooth will be taken to create the inlay. The inlay is essentially a filling to restore the tooth, once the inlay is complete it will put into place and cemented with few adjustments being made.

Veneers

a veneer is a layer of material placed over a tooth, veneers protect the tooth's surface from damage. Repairing a tooth with a veneer requires a small amount of enamel to be removed before the composite or porcelain veneers can be fitted.  

Inlays vs. Veneers

1. Inlays are usually made of different shapes and are done according to different defects and damage of the tooth. Whereas porcelain veneers covers the surface of the tooth.

2. There is also a difference in materials, inlays can be made of metal or porcelain in comparison to veneers that usually only come in composite or porcelain.

3. Dental inlays are usually used to repair the occlusal surface of the teeth, while veneers are used to repair the surface of the teeth.

4. Porcelain inlays and porcelain veneers are usually custom made and then bonded to the tooth but composite resin veneers are usually directly repairable.