Fillings shaded and shaped to match your own tooth, so the repair blends in, even on a tooth no one else will see.
Most fillings start with something small: a tooth that twinges with cold water, floss that keeps shredding in the same spot, or a shadow on an X-ray before you’ve felt a thing. A cavity doesn’t heal on its own. Caught early, it’s a quick repair, and a dental filling in a tooth-colored material puts the tooth back the way it looked.
Plenty of people have a filling they notice every time they laugh: a gray back tooth, or a front one that’s turned a shade darker than its neighbors. We think a filling should look like part of the tooth. At Pearl, in Chicago’s Lincoln Park, we place fillings in composite resin, and in porcelain where a larger repair needs it. Each one is shaded and shaped to the tooth around it, so it blends into your smile instead of standing out as a repair.
“Even something as routine as a small filling is done with aesthetics in mind.”
Most fillings take one visit. Nothing is done without telling you first, and you can ask us to pause at any point.
On your X-ray, so you see why the tooth needs a filling and how big it is before anything starts.
Most fillings are done with the area numbed, so you feel pressure and vibration rather than pain. If you’re nervous, tell us and we’ll go slower.
Only the soft, decayed part comes out. As much healthy tooth as possible stays, because your own tooth is stronger than any filling.
Composite goes in thin layers, in a shade matched to your tooth, and each layer is set hard with a blue light.
The grooves and edges are shaped, your bite is checked, and the filling is polished smooth so it feels like your own tooth.
“I’ve had quite a bit of dental work done with them, including Invisalign, fillings, and a tooth extraction, and they’ve been great every step of the way.”
Most tooth-colored fillings are composite resin, a blend of resin and fine glass particles that bonds to the tooth. It comes in many shades and goes in layers, so a filling can match both the color and the slight translucency of the enamel around it.
For a larger repair, a porcelain filling (an inlay or onlay) is made to fit the tooth and then bonded in place. Porcelain is very hard-wearing and keeps its color.
We choose the shade with you and shape each filling to the tooth, with the same care we’d give cosmetic work. That goes for a back tooth no one else will see, too: a filling shaped to your bite feels like your own tooth when you chew.
Often you can’t tell until we find it. Early cavities rarely hurt, which is why most are found at a checkup or on an X-ray, between teeth or under an old filling. Found then, the filling is small and most of the tooth stays yours.
When there are signs, they tend to be sensitivity to cold or sweets, a twinge when you bite, floss that catches or tears in one spot, food that keeps packing between two teeth, or a dark spot or rough edge your tongue keeps finding.
Usually not. Once the tooth is numb, most people feel pressure and vibration, not pain, and the numbness wears off within a few hours.
The tooth can be sensitive to cold or to biting for a few days, especially after a deeper filling. If it still hurts to bite after that, the filling may sit a touch high. Tell us: it’s a quick adjustment.
If you’re nervous, say so. Many of our patients came to us nervous about the dentist, so we explain each step before we do it and pause whenever you need.
Most fillings last many years. Composite fillings often last five to ten years or longer, and porcelain longer still, depending on the size of the filling, where it sits and whether you clench or grind.
No filling is permanent. Edges wear and can let decay back in underneath, so fillings are checked at every exam. We repair or replace one only when it needs it, not because it’s old.
Not automatically. A silver (amalgam) filling that’s intact and sealed can be left alone, and removing a healthy one takes away more of your tooth. Replacing every silver filling at once is more work than most mouths need.
Replacing one makes sense when it’s cracked, leaking at the edges or has decay under it, or when you’d rather it didn’t show when you laugh. That last reason is a fair one, and yours to decide. Either way, you’ll see the filling on the screen and hear your options before you decide, and you’re only offered what you need.
A composite filling is set hard before you leave, so there’s no waiting for it to cure at home. A few things help in the first days:
Book an exam and we’ll look at the tooth, take an X-ray if it’s needed, and show you what we find and what it would cost to fix before anything is done. We’re at 1009 W Webster Ave, across from St. Vincent de Paul Church, with street parking nearby.
Dr. Colby James Gerth, DMD, earned his Doctorate in Dental Medicine at Midwestern University and has practiced in Chicago since 2020. He opened Pearl in Lincoln Park in 2025, where even a small filling is done with how your smile looks in mind.
Most fillings are done in one visit, usually 30 minutes to an hour for one or two small ones. Larger fillings take longer, and a porcelain filling may need a second visit.
Yes, once the numbness wears off. A composite filling is fully set before you leave. Until you can feel your lip and cheek again, stick to drinks that aren’t hot.
For most small and medium cavities, yes. Composite bonds to the tooth, so less healthy tooth has to be removed. For a large repair on a back tooth, porcelain or a crown may last longer, and we’ll tell you which suits the tooth.
Not once it’s a hole. The earliest stage, a chalky white spot in the enamel, can sometimes be reversed with fluoride and better cleaning. Once decay breaks through, it only grows, and a small filling now avoids a bigger one, or a crown, later.
Usually, in part. Most dental plans treat fillings as basic care and pay a share of the cost, and you’ll know your cost before we start. We accept plans from Aetna, Ameritas, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Delta Dental, Guardian, Humana, Lincoln Financial, MetLife, Principal and UnitedHealthcare.
No. Fillings keep the shade they were made in, so if you’re thinking about whitening, whiten first and we’ll match new fillings to your new shade. Tell us before we start, and we’ll plan the order with you.
Yes. Fillings and the local anesthetic used for them are considered safe during pregnancy, and the second trimester is often the most comfortable time. Tell us you’re pregnant when you book.
Something else on your mind? Call (312) 858-7067 or see all our questions and answers.
Book online or call us. You’ll see what we find before anything is done. There’s street parking nearby.
