taken of the prepared tooth to be sent to the laboratory for fabrication of the indirect restoration. Also, a provisional restoration is made using material such as ProTemp, to protect the tooth from sensitivity, loss of vitality, bacterial contamination, to prevent over-eruption of the prepared tooth and also maintains dental aesthetics for the time being. For tooth preparation, firstly start with occlusal reduction which depending on the restorative material being used can range from 0.5mm-2mm. The best instrument to use for this is a high-speed diamond fissure bur and the reduction should follow the inclination of the cusps and grooves as this will allow the preservation of more tooth tissue. A functional occlusal bevel should be created on the occlusal loading cusp of molar teeth by holding the bur at a 45o angle to the occlusal surface. This is the buccal cusp for mandibular teeth and the palatal cusp for maxillary teeth. A high-speed tapered diamond bur has the most convenient shape to prepare the buccal, lingual and proximal reduction of the tooth. In the majority of clinical situations an inlay preparation is being made from a tooth that already has a Class II restoration and is being prepared to protect the tooth. The restoration is firstly removed and then the cavity can be converted by ensuring any undercuts are eliminated from the preparation. There are two ways this can be done, either by blocking the undercuts out with an adhesive restorative material or by removing tooth tissue to create the divergent cavity needed. Fabrication methods There are a few methods of fabricating inlays and onlays, depending on the restorative material used. Indirect restorative technique The first common step is always to take an impression of the tooth preparation – either by scanning it using an intraoral scanner or by taking a conventional impression using polyvinyl siloxane. The details of the fabrication methods are as follows: CAD-CAM CAD-CAM (aka Computer Aided Design-Computer Aided Manufacture) is a fabrication method which aids the production of dental restorations e.g. crowns, bridges, inlays and onlays. It is possible for these indirect restorations to be provided in one visit. This works by first taking an intra-oral scan to produce a 3D virtual impression. The 3D image is then sent to the chosen software programme, available software programmes include CEREC Acquisition Center system (Sirona Dental Systems, Charlotte, N.C.) or the E4D Dentist system (D4D Technologies, Richardson,