Fillings represent the easiest way of restoration of the leakage of tooth substance caused by tooth decays, trauma and spontaneous fracture. In the past they were made of silver amalgam (nowadays this material isn't used because of its mercury contents), while today they are proposed by the "dental market" in resin-based composite materials. In the aesthetic sectors as well as in the back ones the issue of the stability of the materials they are made of is still unsolved: colour change in the front sector (incisors), lack of marginal fitting and abrasion (wearing) in the back chewing sectors are some of the most frequent problems. The use of a magnifying instrument (microscope) allows higher marginal precision, mini-invasive procedure (sparing on tooth substance) and a better sight.

The inlays are restorations manufactured in dental laboratory and they represent an alternative to fillings. The indirect conservative restorations (inlays) allow to "repairing" the dental damages caused by a destructive tooth decay. The carious cavity is cleared and prepared like in the case of fillings. Cavity preparation is carried out very carefully and detailed dental impression is taken, in order to enable the dental technician to realize an artefact, which will be cemented in the mouth by the dentist. The advantage relies on the possibility of working out the perfect fitting and quality of the restoration (under the microscope) out of the mouth. Inlays are made of composite resin or ceramic.

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