By Dr. Harsh Patel, Next Care Dental
If your dentist has told you that you have a cavity, the next question is usually, “What kind of filling will I get, and what will it be like?” Most cavities today are repaired with tooth-colored fillings. Here are plain answers to the questions our patients ask most, so you know what to expect before you sit down in the chair.
What Is a Tooth-Colored Filling?
A tooth-colored filling is made of composite resin, a mix of plastic and fine glass-like particles. It’s soft when it goes in, so your dentist can shape it to fit the tooth, and then a special blue light hardens it in seconds. The shade is matched to your natural tooth, so most people can’t tell a filling is there when you talk or smile.
Composite fillings bond, or stick, directly to the tooth. That matters because your dentist usually needs to remove less healthy tooth to hold the filling in place. And there’s no metal or mercury in them.
How Is It Different from a Silver Filling?
Silver fillings (amalgam) have been used for a long time and are still strong. The main differences:
- Look: tooth-colored fillings blend in; silver fillings are dark and can show when you laugh.
- How they hold: composite bonds to the tooth. Amalgam is packed into a shape cut to hold it, which often means removing more tooth.
- Material: composite has no metal. Some patients simply prefer that.
If you already have silver fillings that are in good shape, you don’t need to replace them just because they’re silver. We’ll check them at your exam and let you know if one is cracked, leaking or has new decay around it.
How Long Do Tooth-Colored Fillings Last?
There’s no fixed expiration date. Many tooth-colored fillings last for years, and how long yours lasts depends on a few things you can partly control:
- Size and location. A small filling on the front of a tooth has an easier job than a large one on a back molar that does most of your chewing.
- Grinding or clenching. Heavy grinding, often at night, wears fillings and teeth faster. A night guard can help if you grind.
- Home care. New decay can start at the edge of an old filling. Brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and cleaning between your teeth every day protects both your teeth and your fillings.
- Habits. Chewing ice, opening packages with your teeth or biting hard objects can chip any filling.
- Regular checkups. At your exams, we look at your fillings and catch small problems before they turn into bigger ones.
When a filling does wear out, it can usually be replaced with a new one. If a tooth has lost too much structure for a filling to do the job, your dentist may talk with you about a crown instead.
What Happens at the Filling Visit?
Here’s what a typical visit looks like, step by step:
- Numbing. Your dentist numbs the area so you’re comfortable. Let us know if you’re nervous; we’ll go at your pace and explain each step.
- Removing the decay. The soft, damaged part of the tooth is cleaned out.
- Preparing the tooth. The tooth is gently prepared so the filling can bond to it.
- Placing the filling. The composite goes in a layer at a time, and each layer is hardened with the blue light.
- Shaping and polishing. Your dentist shapes the filling to match your bite and polishes it smooth.
- Checking your bite. You’ll bite on a thin paper so we can make sure the filling isn’t sitting too high.
Because composite hardens right away with the light, you can use the tooth normally once the numbness wears off. Until then, avoid hot drinks and chewing on that side so you don’t bite your cheek or tongue.
Many people worry that fillings hurt. We cover that question in more detail in Do Fillings Hurt? What to Know About Cavity Fillings.
Is It Normal for the Tooth to Feel Sensitive Afterward?
Some sensitivity to cold, or a little tenderness when you bite, is common for a few days after a filling. It should get better, not worse. Call or text us if:
- the tooth hurts more as the days go on,
- your bite feels “high” or uneven when you close your teeth,
- you have pain that wakes you up at night or throbs, or
- you notice swelling.
A high spot on a new filling is a quick fix, and it’s much better to come in than to wait.
Will Insurance Cover a Tooth-Colored Filling?
Fillings are a basic service on most dental plans, but every plan is different. Some plans pay for tooth-colored fillings on back teeth at the same rate as silver fillings, and some don’t. The best step is to ask us to check your benefits before your visit.
Next Care Dental accepts most PPO plans, and Medicare Advantage plans from Humana, Aetna, UHC Dual Complete, Wellcare, SCAN, Cigna (including Cigna Indemnity), Liberty Dental and Memorial Hermann Dental. We also accept Texas Medicaid for children. See our insurance page for details.
If you’re paying on your own, we offer financing through CareCredit, Sunbit and Cherry. You can read more on our financial options page. If you’re new to us and don’t have insurance, our new patient exam and X-rays are $99 for self-pay patients (this price can’t be combined with insurance or other offers). That visit is where we find out whether you need a filling at all.
Can I Wait on a Small Cavity?
A cavity doesn’t heal on its own. Small cavities often don’t hurt, which is why people put them off. But decay keeps growing, and a cavity that could have been a small filling can grow until the tooth needs a larger filling, a crown or a root canal. Treating it early usually means a smaller repair and a lower cost.
Tooth-Colored Fillings at Next Care Dental
Our dentists, Dr. Harsh Patel, Dr. Thuy Vu and Dr. Natalie Pruneda, place tooth-colored fillings for adults and kids. We’ll show you what we see on your X-rays, explain your options in plain words, and never pressure you into treatment you don’t need. Our team speaks English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Gujarati and Hindi.
Learn more about tooth-colored fillings at Next Care Dental.
Ready to Get That Cavity Taken Care Of?
Call or text (713) 952-0522 or book online. We’re at 9650 Westheimer Rd, Suite 100, Houston, TX 77063, at Westheimer & Gessner next to Randall’s. We’re open Monday to Thursday 8 AM to 5 PM and Friday 8 AM to 3 PM. Walk-ins are welcome, and we try to see same-day visits Monday through Friday when we can.
This article is general information, not a diagnosis. Your dentist will recommend what’s right for your teeth after an exam.