Dental Fillings in Hocking, Perth

A filling repairs a tooth that decay or a chip has taken part of, before the damage reaches the nerve. It is the most common thing we do, and the cheapest point at which to deal with a cavity.

We use tooth-coloured composite, shade-matched to the tooth being repaired, so a repaired tooth does not announce itself when you laugh.

What a filling actually does

Teeth decay. It happens with age, with diet, and with the parts of the mouth a brush never quite reaches, and it does not reverse on its own once the enamel is breached. A filling removes the decayed part and rebuilds the tooth with a bonded material, which stops the cavity spreading toward the nerve.

Caught early, that is a short appointment and a small filling. Left until it hurts, the same tooth often needs a root canal and a crown instead, which is a great deal more time and money for a worse result. The whole argument for six-monthly examinations lives in the gap between those two sentences.

There is one important exception. Very early decay, confined to the outer enamel and not yet through it, can remineralise — which is why we sometimes tell you about a spot and then watch it rather than drilling it. Fluoride, less frequent snacking and better cleaning at that site can turn it around. Once decay is through the enamel into the dentine, that stops being possible.

The materials, and why we use the one we do

The materials we use for tooth fillings are tooth-coloured composites, shade-matched to the tooth being repaired. They can fill new cavities, rebuild chipped teeth, close small gaps between teeth, and replace older metal or amalgam fillings.

Material	How it holds in	Appearance	Where it suits
Composite resin	Bonded chemically to the tooth, so less healthy tooth has to be removed to hold it in	Shade-matched; effectively invisible	Everywhere. What we use as standard
Amalgam	Held by the shape cut into the tooth, which means removing sound tooth to create it	Obviously metallic	Largely historical here; we replace it rather than place it
Glass ionomer	Bonds and releases fluoride slowly	Reasonable, less polished	Root surfaces, children's teeth, and temporary work
Ceramic inlay or onlay	Made in a laboratory and bonded in	Very good	Large cavities where a direct filling would be doing too much work

Composite needs the tooth to be kept completely dry while it is placed and cured, which is why we use suction and sometimes a rubber dam. It is also placed in layers rather than in one lump, each cured with a light, because that is what controls shrinkage. Both of those are the reason a composite filling takes longer to place than an amalgam did.

What happens at the appointment

Numbing, usually
A small filling in enamel often does not need it, and we will offer you the choice. Anything approaching the dentine generally does. Topical gel goes on first, so the injection itself is rarely the part people remember.
Removing the decay
Only the decayed tissue, and as little sound tooth as possible. This is where the laser is sometimes an option instead of the drill — worth asking about if the noise is what bothers you.
Preparing the surface
The cavity is cleaned, etched and primed so the composite bonds to the tooth rather than merely sitting in it.
Layering and curing
The composite goes in in increments, each set with a curing light, and the anatomy of the biting surface is shaped back in as it builds up.
Checking the bite
With articulating paper, and then by asking you to bite and tell us. Left a whisker too tall, a new filling takes the full force of every bite and the tooth aches for days. Thirty seconds with a polishing bur settles it.
Polishing
A smooth, polished margin is not cosmetic detail — a rough margin collects plaque and is where the next cavity starts.

You can eat straight away with a composite filling, which sets fully under the light rather than over hours. The only real caution is not to chew on a numb side, because it is remarkably easy to bite a lip or a cheek without noticing.

How long a filling lasts

More about where it is and how it is looked after than about the material it is made of.

A composite filling in a well-cleaned mouth generally lasts years, and how many depends more on where it is and how you look after it than on the material. Back teeth take far more force than front teeth, and a filling that is replacing a large part of a molar is working harder than one filling a small pit.

We will tell you roughly what to expect from yours and what the next step would be if it fails, so it is not a surprise. Fillings are checked at every examination, which is usually how we spot one going before it gives you any trouble.

Fillings fail at the margin, where the material meets the tooth. That is a place floss reaches and a toothbrush largely does not.
Each time a filling is replaced, the cavity gets a little larger, because the old material and a rim of tooth around it have to come out. That is why the third or fourth replacement in the same tooth is often a crown instead.
Grinding shortens the life of every restoration in your mouth. If you grind, a night guard protects fillings as much as it protects enamel.
A filling that becomes sensitive to cold weeks or months later, or that aches when you bite, is telling you something. Ring us rather than waiting for the next check-up.

Common questions

Fillings: your questions answered

Will I need an injection?: For most fillings, yes, and it is worth it. Very small fillings confined to enamel can sometimes be done without, and we will offer you that choice where it is genuinely available. Topical numbing gel goes on before the injection, so the part people dread is generally not the part they remember. Ask for it if it is not offered.
Why does it feel sensitive afterwards?: Mild sensitivity to cold for a week or two after a deep filling is common — the tooth has been worked on and the nerve inside takes a while to settle. What is not routine is pain on biting, sensitivity that is getting worse rather than better after a fortnight, or pain that lingers for minutes after something cold. Any of those is worth a phone call.
How long until I can eat?: Straight away, as far as the filling is concerned — composite is fully set by the curing light before you leave. Wait until the numbness has gone, though, because biting a numb lip or cheek is easy to do and unpleasant when the anaesthetic wears off. Allow two to three hours.
Can I have my old silver fillings replaced with white ones?: Yes, and we do it routinely when an amalgam filling is failing or the tooth needs work anyway. Replacing sound amalgam purely for appearance is a decision we will discuss rather than encourage, because every replacement removes a little more tooth. If the appearance genuinely bothers you that is a legitimate reason — we would just rather you made it knowing the trade-off.
Is there mercury in my old fillings, and should I be worried?: Amalgam does contain mercury, bound into an alloy. The position of the Australian Dental Association and of the regulators is that existing amalgam fillings are safe and there is no health reason to remove sound ones. Amalgam is used far less now for other reasons — it requires more tooth to be cut away, and it looks like metal.
My filling fell out. Is that urgent?: Ring us within a few days. It is rarely painful straight away, and the exposed cavity is soft, collects food and decays quickly. If you have the piece, there is no need to bring it — unlike a crown, a filling is not re-fitted. Avoid chewing on that side and do not pack anything into the hole.
Can a cavity be fixed without drilling?: Sometimes, at the very earliest stage. Decay still confined to enamel can be arrested and remineralised with fluoride, dietary changes and better cleaning at that specific spot, and we will watch it at each visit rather than treat it. Once decay is through into the dentine it will not reverse, and leaving it hoping otherwise is how small fillings become root canals.
How do you decide between a filling and a crown?: By how much sound tooth is left to hold everything together. A filling relies on the walls of the tooth around it; a crown replaces those walls. Once a cavity is wide enough that the remaining walls would flex under chewing, a filling in it will crack the tooth eventually. We will show you on the screen rather than just tell you.

All frequently asked questions

General & Preventative

Other general & preventative treatments

The regular care that keeps everything else from becoming necessary.

Rather talk it through first?

Ring us and describe what is going on. Reception will tell you whether to book about fillings, how long to allow, and whether anything needs looking at sooner.

Call (08) 9306 2755

Which system do you use?

Which system do you use?

Fillings

Which system do you use?

What a filling actually does

Which system do you use?

The materials, and why we use the one we do

What happens at the appointment

How long a filling lasts

Fillings: your questions answered

Other general & preventative treatments

Rather talk it through first?

Which system do you use?

Which system do you use?