Fillings are placed to restore teeth to function and appearance after trauma, caries removal or tooth wear.
Fillings at our children’s dentistry clinic can be categorised into two types: silver–coloured or tooth-coloured. We no longer place silver-coloured fillings for kids at our dental clinic.
Benefits of Coming to A Children’s Dental Clinic in Singapore
Dental fillings for kids are most often carried out as part of the restorative process for caries treatment. They are intended to bring your child’s tooth to function, look good, and prevent the decayed lesion from growing.
Tooth decay is the most common reason for fillings for children, followed by damage from trauma. The nerves in children’s teeth are not as developed as in adult teeth; therefore, they may not always complain of pain when their tooth has a hole. This makes the regular children’s dental clinic check-up even more critical, as we are often able to catch problems before they have caused your child any pain.
Tooth-coloured material science is continually improving; our composite filling materials have the same, if not better, strength as traditional silver-coloured fillings and offer the advantage of bonding to and supporting the existing tooth structure.
Kids’ Dental Filling Process
Our professional team of dentists will discuss all the pros, cons and costs of your children’s dentistry treatment needs. If fillings are required, they will usually be under local anaesthetic. In a child, this is sometimes accomplished with the surface numbing gel. In other cases, if the decay found is too extensive, then the local anaesthetic injection will also be needed. If injection is necessary, we prepare the area first with the surface numbing gel and then use paediatric dental care techniques developed through training and experience to make the injection as anxiety-free as possible.
If you have any concerns regarding analgesia, please do let us know so that we can make the experience as anxiety-free as possible.
Our dentist will then prepare the tooth for the filling. This means removing any decay or debris with dental drills and hand instruments. Although you won’t feel any pain, they may be aware of vibration from the drills. This can be alarming when first experienced. Therefore, in some cases, when the child is very young, we choose to avoid dental drills and carefully and painstakingly remove the caries with hand instruments only.
Tooth-coloured fillings for kids involve several stages and require a clean and dry tooth. The dentist will apply an etching gel, which is washed off after a waiting period. Then, a bonding layer is applied and ‘set’ with the light-curing machine. Lastly, the filling is placed in layers and set as it goes. It is then polished, and the bite is checked. It is ready to use right away; however, it is always advisable to wait until the numbing effect wears off before eating or drinking.
Cost for Kids Dental Filling
The cost of dental filling treatment for your child will depend on several factors, including the complexity and size of the treatment. The fee range for a tooth-coloured filling is $87.20 – $185.30. We always encourage you to meet with our paediatric dentist in Singapore for a consultation and discussion of your particular needs and treatment costs.
