Dental inlay. (Image 3 of 3). Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a dental inlay (blue) on a mount (brown). The inlay has just come from the miniature milling machine in which it was cut. Inlays are used to replace badly decayed areas of tooth. To fit an inlay, a cavity is cut into the damaged tooth and the exact dimensions of the cavity determined using an oral camera. This data is then fed into a milling machine which cuts a perfectly fitting inlay from a ceramic block. To view a computer graphic of the tooth the dental inlay is being cut for see image M782/145, while to view the inlay being cut see image M782/146.