What does having an inlay fitted entail?

Dental inlay: In dentistry, an inlay is an indirect restoration (filling) consisting of a solid substance (as gold or porcelain) fitted to a cavity in a tooth and cemented into place.An onlay is the same as an inlay, except that it extends to replace a cusp. Crowns are onlays which completely cover all surfaces of a tooth.

Similar to a crown: The process is similar to a crown, but the inlay is smaller and results in less reduction of the healthy tooth. Your dentist gets the tooth numb, cleans the decay, old filling, cracks, then makes a mold of the tooth. A temporary filling may be placed. Then the inlay (made of metal, resin or porcelain) is bonded (glued) to the tooth with a special adhesive. Bite and contacts are checked. Done!