Small problems, fixedsmall.
Tooth-colored fillings that disappear into the tooth, and sealants that keep decay from starting in the first place. Both are one short visit.
- Tooth-colored, no metal
- One short visit
- Often no shot needed
How it works.
Find it early
Digital X-rays and a laser check catch decay while it's tiny.
Clean out the decay
Only the damaged part goes; healthy tooth stays.
Bond and shape
Composite is layered, cured, and polished to match your shade.
Seal the rest
Deep grooves on healthy molars get sealed against future decay.
A cavity does not hurt until it is expensive
That is the frustrating part. Decay starts in enamel, which has no nerve supply, so a small cavity gives you nothing to react to. By the time you feel cold sensitivity or a twinge when you chew, it has usually reached the dentin underneath. By the time it wakes you up at night, you are often talking about a root canal instead of a filling.
This is the entire argument for regular checkups. A cavity caught on an X-ray at three millimeters is a thirty-minute appointment. The same cavity ignored for two years can be a crown, or worse.
Why we use tooth-colored composite instead of silver amalgam
Amalgam fillings held up for a century and plenty of people in Fort Smith still have them working fine. We are not going to tell you to run out and replace them. But when we are placing something new, composite is the better tool for a few practical reasons.
It bonds to the tooth. Amalgam sits in the tooth and relies on a mechanical undercut to stay put, which means the dentist has to remove healthy structure to create that shape. Composite chemically bonds to enamel and dentin, so we take out the decay and very little else. More of your tooth stays your tooth.
Metal moves with temperature. Coffee, then ice water, over and over for twenty years. Amalgam expands and contracts more than tooth structure does, and that is why old silver fillings so often sit at the center of a cracked molar. Composite behaves more like the tooth around it.
It looks like a tooth. Shaded to match, polished smooth, invisible when you laugh. That matters more than people admit, especially on premolars that show.
We do replace failing amalgams when they are leaking, fractured, or have decay underneath them. That is a clinical decision based on what we see on the X-ray, not a sales pitch.
What the visit actually feels like
Most single fillings take about 30 to 45 minutes, start to finish, and you go straight back to your day afterward.
We numb the area first, and we use a topical gel before the injection so the injection itself is mostly pressure. If needles are your specific fear, say so. We can go slower, and we offer nitrous oxide.
Then we remove the decay, which is the part you hear more than feel, place the composite in layers, and cure each layer with a light. Once it is shaped, you bite on articulating paper so we can check that nothing sits high, and we adjust until your bite feels like it did before you sat down.
You can eat as soon as the numbness wears off, usually one to three hours. Some sensitivity to cold for a few days is normal, particularly on deeper fillings. If your bite feels off after a day or two, call us. A quick adjustment takes five minutes and saves you weeks of soreness.
Sealants, and who they are actually for
The chewing surface of a back molar is not flat. It is a landscape of grooves narrower than a toothbrush bristle, which means a six-year-old can brush conscientiously and still develop decay down in those pits.
A sealant is a thin resin coating flowed into those grooves and cured hard, sealing them off so food and bacteria cannot settle in.
Who benefits most: children and teenagers, right after the permanent molars come in, around age six for the first molars and age twelve for the second molars. That first year or two after eruption is when the tooth is most vulnerable.
Adults too, sometimes. If you have deep grooves, a history of decay, or dry mouth from medication, sealants are worth discussing.
Application takes a few minutes per tooth. No drilling, no numbing, nothing to recover from. Sealants wear down over several years, so we check them at every cleaning and reapply when needed. They protect the chewing surface only, which is why flossing still matters.
What fillings and sealants cost here
A tooth-colored filling at our Fort Smith office runs $226 to $608 depending on how many surfaces of the tooth are involved. You get the number in writing before we begin.
Most dental plans cover composite fillings well and cover sealants for children, often fully. We are in network with most major carriers and verify your benefits ahead of time. Smile Savers members get 20 percent off treatment like this, and CareCredit, Cherry, and Proceed Finance are available if you are handling several teeth at once.
What it costs.
Fillings are priced by how many surfaces of the tooth are involved. Most plans cover them at 70–80% after your deductible.
- One-surface fillings cost the least
- Sealants are a fraction of a filling's cost
- Membership: 20% off both
What patients say.
4.9 out of 5 across 1,139 Google reviews at our two offices.
Common questions.
Will getting a filling hurt?
The numbing is the only part with any sting, and topical gel takes most of that away. During the filling itself you will feel pressure and vibration but not pain. If you do feel something sharp, raise your hand and we will add more anesthetic. Afterward, mild cold sensitivity for a few days is common and fades on its own.
How long do tooth-colored fillings last?
Many last ten years or more, though it depends on the size of the filling, where it sits, what you eat, and whether you grind at night. Grinding is the biggest shortener. If we see wear facets on your teeth, we will talk about a night guard, because a filling in a clenching mouth has a much harder job.
Should I replace my old silver fillings?
Not just because they are silver. If an amalgam is intact, sealed, and not causing problems, leaving it alone is usually the right call. We replace them when there is decay underneath, a crack in the tooth, an open margin, or the filling has broken down. We will show you the X-ray and explain the reason.
At what age should my child get sealants?
Soon after the permanent molars erupt, which is usually around six and again around twelve. Ask at your child's cleaning and we will check whether the teeth are in far enough. It takes minutes and there is no needle involved, which most kids appreciate.
What if the cavity is too deep for a filling?
Sometimes the decay reaches the nerve or has undermined so much tooth structure that a filling would not hold. In that case we would talk about a crown, or root canal treatment if the nerve is involved. We will tell you before we start if that is a real possibility, so you are not hearing it mid-appointment.
Request your appointment.
Four questions. Our care team calls you back within one business day. If you are in pain right now, call the office directly and we will get you seen.