Dental Fillings: The Questions Patients Actually Ask

Why do I need a filling if my tooth does not hurt?

Because decay is painless until it reaches the nerve, and by then a filling is no longer the treatment. Decay is bacteria dissolving the tooth from the outside in. It creates a cavity that traps more bacteria and food, and the tooth cannot repair it.

Your dentist finds it long before you feel it, either by examining the tooth or on an X-ray, which is exactly what a routine dental check-up is for. Filling it then is quick and cheap. Filling it after the nerve is involved is not an option at all.

Does getting a filling hurt?

The procedure should not. If your dentist expects any discomfort, the tooth is numbed with local anaesthetic first, and you feel pressure and vibration rather than pain. Shallow fillings often need no anaesthetic at all.

If you have been avoiding the dentist because of anxiety rather than cost, say so when you book. It is far more common than people admit, and it is workable. It is also the single most expensive habit in dentistry, because the treatment you eventually need is never the one you were avoiding.

Is a white filling better than a silver one?

For most situations today, yes, and it is what we place in the large majority of cases. Composite bonds to the tooth, so less healthy tissue has to be removed to hold it in place. Amalgam does not bond, so the cavity has to be shaped to lock the filling in, which costs you some healthy tooth.

Composite also matches your tooth colour. Where amalgam still has an edge is in a large cavity, deep at the back, in an area that cannot be kept completely dry during placement. Composite does not bond reliably in the presence of moisture. Your dentist will tell you if your tooth is one of those cases.

Full detail on gold, ceramic and glass ionomer, and which tooth suits which material, is on our dental fillings page.

I have amalgam fillings. Should I replace them?

If they are intact and doing their job, no. This is the question we field more than any other, and the answer has not changed. The US Food and Drug Administration and the American Dental Association both advise against removing sound amalgam fillings. Drilling one out removes healthy tooth and releases more mercury vapour than leaving it alone would.

What has changed since these fillings were common is that new amalgam is being phased down worldwide under an international mercury treaty, and it is generally avoided for young children and in pregnancy. That is an environmental and precautionary decision about placing new fillings, not a warning about the ones already in your mouth.

Replace an amalgam when there is a dental reason: decay underneath it, a fracture in the filling or the tooth, or a broken edge trapping food. Wanting a tooth coloured filling instead is a perfectly reasonable request too, as long as you understand you are trading some healthy tooth for appearance.

What the evidence does not show: no health authority has found that removing sound amalgam fillings improves general health. Claims that routine amalgam removal treats unrelated medical conditions are not supported by evidence.

How long do fillings last?

Nothing in dentistry lasts forever, and any dentist who promises otherwise is overselling. A well placed composite filling in a well looked after mouth commonly lasts ten years or more. Gold and amalgam typically last longer still, ceramic sits in between.

What actually decides the number is rarely the material. It is how heavily you chew, whether you grind your teeth at night, how well you clean between them, and how much healthy tooth was left to bond to in the first place. A filling in a heavily ground down mouth will fail years before the same filling in a careful one.

Fillings fail in predictable ways: decay creeps in at the margin, the filling chips, or the remaining tooth wall fractures. We check every existing filling at each routine visit, which is how they get replaced on a planned basis rather than as an emergency.

I have pain or sensitivity after my filling. Is that normal?

Some sensitivity to cold and pressure for a few days after a composite filling is normal and settles on its own. Deeper cavities take longer to calm down because the nerve was already irritated before you sat down.

Call us instead of waiting if any of these apply:

1. Your bite feels high or the tooth hits first when you close. This is a two minute adjustment and it will not settle by itself.
2. You get a dull throbbing ache with no trigger, particularly at night.
3. Pain on biting that is sharp rather than merely sensitive.
4. Sensitivity that is getting worse after two weeks rather than better.

The last three can mean the nerve inside the tooth is inflamed, usually because of how deep the original decay went rather than anything about the filling. If the nerve does not recover, the tooth needs root canal treatment, and often a crown afterwards.

What will it cost, and does CHAS cover it?

At NoFrills Dental a composite filling starts from $100 and a temporary filling from $60, before GST. A first visit for a single small cavity, including the $50 consultation and an $80 X-ray of the tooth, comes to around $230.

Illustrative, for one small cavity found and filled at the same visit. Larger and deeper cavities cost more, and fees vary with complexity as stipulated by the Ministry of Health. We quote before starting.

Yes, CHAS covers fillings. If you hold a CHAS, Merdeka Generation or Pioneer Generation card the subsidy is applied at the clinic, so you pay the reduced amount rather than claiming it back afterwards. Our guide to CHAS dental subsidies in 2026 has the tiers and a worked example.

MediSave does not cover fillings, because it applies only to surgical procedures such as wisdom tooth surgery. See using MediSave for dental treatment for what does qualify. Many patients are also covered by a dental insurance plan.

Questions parents ask about fillings for children

Baby teeth get filled for the same reason adult teeth do. They hold space for the permanent tooth coming behind them, and an abscess in a baby tooth can damage the adult tooth developing underneath it. "It will fall out anyway" is only true if it falls out on schedule.

Children's fillings are usually quicker and often use glass ionomer, which releases fluoride and suits a small mouth and a short attention span. Families should check the Baby Bonus scheme, and it is worth reading our dental tips for parents of young children.

What happens if I just leave it?

The decay keeps going. It does not stabilise and it does not reverse once a cavity has formed. What changes is how much the same tooth costs to fix.

If a tooth is eventually lost, replacing it means a dental implant, a bridge or a denture, none of which function quite like the tooth you started with.

Where we can see you

Fillings are done at all our clinics: Tanjong Katong, Marina Square including our denture and implant centre, and Sri Hartamas in Kuala Lumpur. You can read about the clinicians who will see you, including Dr Li Kexin and Dr Joshua Chong, and our standards are set by our clinical advisory board.

If the problem is appearance rather than decay, veneers, teeth whitening or bonding may suit you better. If food keeps packing between the same two teeth, straightening them with Invisalign or braces can stop the decay recurring, and bleeding gums need gum treatment and regular scaling and polishing rather than another filling.

Quick answers

Sources: US Food and Drug Administration, dental amalgam, American Dental Association and the World Health Organization.

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