How Long Does a Tooth Filling Take? Visit Times Explained

What a normal filling visit looks like

The filling itself is the short part. Most of the visit is getting ready and checking the result.

1. Numbing. The area is numbed and we wait a few minutes for it to take. You should feel pressure, not pain.
2. Removing the decay. The softened or damaged part of the tooth is cleaned out. A small cavity takes minutes. A large one takes longer.
3. Placing the filling. A white composite filling is built up in layers and set with a curing light. Silver amalgam is packed in and shaped.
4. Checking the bite. You bite on marking paper and we adjust until the tooth meets its partner evenly. Skipping this is how people end up with a sore tooth a day later.

Most people expect the drilling to be the long part. It usually is not.

What makes a filling take longer

• Size and depth. A large cavity means more to clean out and more layers to build. A deep one needs extra care near the nerve.
• Location. A back tooth is harder to reach and keep dry than a front one.
• More than one filling. Two or three teeth in the same area are often done in one visit, and the time adds up.
• A tooth that is hard to numb. Teeth with an infection can take longer to go numb. That is usually a sign the problem is bigger than a simple cavity.
• An older filling being replaced. Taking out an old one adds a step, and what is underneath is sometimes larger than it looked on the X-ray.

Sometimes the plan changes once we can see the tooth. If the decay is close to the nerve, a filling may not be enough. Our posts on deep filling or root canal and crown or filling explain how that decision gets made.

Fitting it into a Beit Shemesh week

Fillings are rarely planned for a quiet day. They come up on the Thursday before a chag, or on a Friday when the whole house is already behind.

We are at Harav Kook 28/1, open Sunday to Thursday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM and Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Shabbat is for genuine emergencies only. Same-day appointments are possible at the Beit Shemesh clinic, and Dr. Joel treats in Hebrew and English, so you can tell him exactly what the tooth is doing before he starts. If you are coming from Ramat Beit Shemesh, it is a short trip, so a filling does not need to take a half-day out of your schedule.

How long until you can eat and drive

The filling is finished when you leave, but the numbness is not. Lip and cheek numbness commonly lasts a couple of hours, so wait until it wears off before you eat anything solid. People bite their own cheek more often than you would think.

A white composite filling is set under the curing light, so you can chew on it once the numbness has gone. Silver amalgam is generally treated more cautiously for the first day. We tell you which applies to your tooth. Our guide to eating after a filling covers the details. You can usually drive home after a filling, since it is local numbing and not sedation.

After the filling

Mild sensitivity to cold or biting for a few days is common and usually settles. If the tooth still hurts when you bite after that, or the pain gets worse instead of better, read tooth pain after a filling. A bite that feels high is easy to fix and does not mean the filling failed.

The ADA's MouthHealthy has a plain page on what to expect from a filling, and our guide to how long fillings last answers the other long question.

When it is not a normal filling appointment

A filling that has fallen out, or a cavity that hurts at night, is a different booking from a routine one. Call us and say so, and we will fit you in sooner. See what to do when a temporary filling falls out if that is you.

If a filling can wait, we will say so. A cavity that is not painful, not swollen and not sharp can usually be booked for a proper slot instead of squeezed in. For fever, or swelling that spreads across the face or makes swallowing hard, go to a hospital emergency department rather than a dental clinic.

To book a filling, call or WhatsApp Urgent Dental Care at 055-985-8845. We are at Harav Kook 28/1, Beit Shemesh. After-hours emergency treatment is available outside our opening hours. Our dental fillings in Beit Shemesh page explains what we do and how to book.