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Fillings
A cavity cleaned out and filled in tooth-coloured material, usually in one visit.
- Where
- First floor, Potta, on NH 544
Get directions - Open
- Every day, 10 am – 7 pm
- Who treats you
- Dr. Pavya Priya · KDC 28861
- Fees
- 1 fee range
See all fees
On this page
A filling repairs a tooth that decay has made a hole in. The decayed tissue is removed and the space is rebuilt with a material that seals the tooth. At Kallada Smile, fillings are done by Dr. Pavya Priya, a registered dentist.
What it is
Decay (a cavity) starts when bacteria in plaque turn sugar into acid, and the acid dissolves the mineral in the enamel. At first this is a white or brown patch. Once the surface breaks, a hole forms and grows inwards.
Filling is not just plugging the hole. The soft, infected tissue has to come out, or decay carries on underneath, and that is why an opening that looks small on the surface is often larger once it is opened.
Once the cavity is clean, the material is bonded into it, shaped to match the tooth and polished. The tooth then works normally again.
Signs you might need it
- A short, sharp pain with sweet, cold or hot food that stops when the food is gone.
- A hole, a rough edge or a dark spot you can feel with your tongue.
- Food packing into the same place after every meal.
- A tooth that has chipped, with or without pain.
- An old filling that has cracked, worn down or fallen out.
- A shadow between two teeth that Dr. Pavya finds at a check-up or on an X-ray.
Some cavities cause nothing at all until they are large, which is the reason for check-ups.
What happens at Kallada Smile
Examination. Dr. Pavya looks at the tooth, tests it, and arranges an X-ray where decay may sit between two teeth or run deep. X-rays are not taken at Kallada Smile: the clinic does not hold a radiation licence yet. Where one is needed you are given a written note and sent to a radiology centre in Chalakudy, about five minutes away by road, which charges you separately. The picture is read and explained at your appointment.
The plan and the fee. You are told what is needed for each tooth, how many visits it will take, and the fee range, before anything starts.
Numbing. An injection where the cavity is anything but shallow. Drilling begins only once the area is numb. Tell us if you feel anything; we stop.
Cleaning the cavity. The decayed tissue is removed with a drill and hand instruments. Where a cavity is deep, Dr. Pavya may leave a thin layer over the nerve and seal it rather than risk exposing the nerve, and the tooth is watched.
Placing the filling. The material goes in layers, and each is set with a bright light. Dr. Pavya then shapes it to the tooth and checks the bite with a coloured paper.
Polishing. The surface is smoothed so it feels like the rest of the tooth and plaque takes longer to gather.
Options
No silver fillings. Kallada Smile places tooth-coloured fillings. Amalgam, the silver filling many people expect and price against, is not used here.
Tooth-coloured composite. The usual material at Kallada Smile. It bonds to the tooth, needs less healthy tooth removed, and matches the shade. It is set with a light, so the tooth is ready to use when you leave.
Glass ionomer. Releases fluoride and is often used in milk teeth, near the gum line, and as part of a deep filling under composite. It is less hard-wearing on a biting surface.
A dressing first. Where a cavity is very deep, a medicated dressing is placed first. The tooth is watched for a few weeks before the final filling. This gives the nerve a chance to settle.
An inlay or a crown instead. When too little tooth is left around a large cavity, a filling will keep breaking. A crown covers and holds the tooth together.
A root canal instead. When decay has already reached the nerve, filling the tooth alone will not settle the pain.
Dr. Pavya explains which applies, with the fee for each. You decide.
What can go wrong
A filled tooth can be sensitive to cold or to biting for some days, and occasionally for longer. Where the cavity was deep, the nerve may already be too damaged to settle, and the tooth then needs root canal treatment or removal; that is not always possible to tell before the decay is opened up. A filling wears, chips and can leak at its edge, so decay can start again underneath one, and every filling is replaced eventually. The bigger the filling, the less tooth is left holding it, and a heavily filled tooth can split.
How long it takes and how many visits
Most fillings are done in one visit, taking 20 to 45 minutes for a tooth. Several small fillings can often be done in the same appointment.
A deep cavity that is dressed first needs a second visit to place the final filling.
You can eat once the numbness has gone, usually 2 to 3 hours after the injection. A composite filling is fully set before you leave.
Looking after it afterwards
- Do not eat or drink anything hot while your lip and tongue are still numb. Biting a numb cheek is one of the commonest injuries after a filling.
- Sensitivity to cold for a few days is normal, especially after a deep filling.
- If the tooth feels tall when you bite, or one spot hits first, come back. A high filling is adjusted in a few minutes and left alone it can crack the tooth.
- Pain that grows over days, or that wakes you at night, is not normal settling. Message us.
- Clean the edge of the filling every day with floss or an interdental brush. New decay starts at the join, not in the material.
- Have every filling checked at your routine visits. A worn edge repaired early saves the tooth from a bigger repair later.
Fees
- Filling, per tooth₹800 – ₹2,500
The final fee is confirmed after examination, in writing, before treatment starts. See all fees
Questions about fillings
How long does a filling last?
A tooth-coloured filling in a small cavity commonly lasts several years, and a large one in a back tooth lasts less. What decides it is the size, where it sits, how hard you bite and how clean the edge is kept. No filling lasts for ever, and every filling is checked at each routine visit.
Does a filling need an injection?
Often, but not always. A very shallow cavity in enamel can sometimes be prepared without one. Anything deeper is numbed first, and drilling starts only once the area is properly numb. If you are anxious, say so; we explain each step before it happens and stop when you raise a hand.
Can decay be treated without drilling?
Only at the earliest stage, when the enamel surface has started to soften but has not broken. Fluoride varnish and a change in cleaning can arrest it there. Once a hole has formed, the decayed tissue has to be removed before the tooth can be sealed.
Why does a filled tooth still feel sensitive?
A deep filling sits close to the nerve, and the nerve takes time to settle. Sensitivity to cold for a few days, or even two to three weeks after a deep filling, is common. Pain that is getting worse, or that wakes you at night, is different: message us.
What happens if a cavity is left alone?
Decay spreads inwards. While it is in the outer layers, a filling deals with it. Once it reaches the nerve, the choice narrows to a root canal or removing the tooth. Both cost more and take longer. That is the whole argument for treating it early.
Care for every smile
Ready when you are.
Tell us your name and what is bothering you. We reply with a time.