Inlays and onlays are restorations that can be used to restore teeth that are cracked or fractured if the damage is not severe enough to require a dental crown. Inlays are made by a technician in a dental laboratory and then glued onto your tooth. An inlay sits in a hole inside the tooth and an onlay sits on top of the tooth to help protect the tooth and stop it from breaking any further. Their use helps to conserve much of the natural tooth structure.
Gold inlays are very strong and can last many years and are usually placed in large fillings which might otherwise risk breaking with a normal filling material such as amalgam . They are most often used in back teeth if the patient is unconcerned about having white fillings as an alternative. If Cosmetics is an issue a composite or porcelain filling could be considered.