White fillings — the most common thing dentistry does.
One visit, tooth-coloured, and the treatment that stops a small problem becoming a crown. Here is what composite fillings cost, how long they honestly last, and the ten closest practices that publish their fees.
Free to use. We're paid by verified practices, never by ranking position.
One surface
$180 – $280
Two surfaces
$220 – $350
Three or more
$280 – $450
Typical lifespan
7 – 12 years
One visitalmost all fillings finish in a single appointment
Step 1 — your location
Ten dentists near you, ranked in about four seconds.
Fillings are routine, so this ranking weights availability and published pricing heavily — how soon they can see you and whether the fee is on their website.
Your location is used to sort results and is never sold or shared with third parties.
Showing 10 general dentists near Austin, TXRanked by distance, review quality and published pricing
Amalgam fillings were held in by shape — the cavity had to be cut with undercuts to lock them in place, which meant removing sound tooth. Composite bonds chemically to enamel and dentine, so the dentist only removes what is actually decayed. That is the real clinical advantage, more than the colour: a composite filling is usually a smaller filling, and a smaller filling means a stronger tooth for longer.
Composite is now the default for almost all new fillings in the US, and the difference in longevity against amalgam has narrowed considerably.
The dentist has to keep it dry. Composite fails if contaminated with saliva during placement, which is why isolation matters more than for amalgam.
If the filling would be wider than half the tooth, ask whether an onlay or crown is the better answer. Very large composites flex and split teeth.
Sensitivity for a few weeks is normal. Sensitivity that worsens after a month is not, and needs checking.
For most people this is the entire experience of dentistry, and a well-done filling is quiet, quick and forgettable.
01
Diagnosis
Usually found on a bitewing X-ray before you feel anything. The dentist should show you the image.
Check-up
02
Anaesthetic
Local, unless the cavity is very shallow. Wait a full five minutes for it to work properly before starting.
Same visit · 5 min
03
Decay removal
Only the affected tissue is removed. Composite bonds, so no extra healthy tooth is cut away to lock it in.
Same visit · 10 min
04
Layering & curing
Resin placed in increments, each hardened with a blue light. Layering reduces shrinkage stress.
Same visit · 15 min
05
Shaping & bite check
Contoured, polished and checked against the opposing teeth. A high filling causes days of ache.
Same visit · 10 min
Before & after
Filling cases from practices on this list.
Submitted by listed practices, with the patient's written release and the fee they actually charged.
BeforeAfter
Two early lesions between molars
Caught on a routine bitewing before either was symptomatic. Two small fillings instead of two crowns three years later.
Duration
1 visit
Fee charged
$390
BeforeAfter
Failing amalgam replaced
A thirty-year-old amalgam with decay underneath the margin. Replaced with bonded composite.
Duration
1 visit
Fee charged
$340
BeforeAfter
Large cavity, onlay instead
The cavity was wider than half the tooth. The dentist recommended a bonded onlay rather than a very large filling.
Duration
2 visits
Fee charged
$1,180
Individual results vary with your diagnosis, anatomy and healing. Fees shown are what those specific patients paid at those specific practices and are not a quote. Photography on this page is licensed stock imagery, not photographs of the patients described.
Cost & insurance
What fillings cost in 2026.
Ranges below are the 25th–75th percentile of fees published by listed practices. Any dentist we match you with has agreed to give you a written quote before treatment.
Treatment
Typical range
With 0% plan
One surfaceSmall, single-surface cavity
$180 – $280
$0Usually insured
Two surfacesExtends between two teeth
$220 – $350
Bundled
Three or more surfacesLarger restoration
$280 – $450
Bundled
Replacing an old amalgamSame fee as a new filling of that size
$180 – $450
Bundled
Bonded onlayWhere a filling would be too large
$900 – $1,600
$79/mo24 months
CrownWhere too little tooth remains
$1,100 – $2,300
$95/mo24 months
Fillings are usually covered at 70–80% after your deductible, making them one of the best-value things you can do with a dental plan. Some plans pay only the amalgam rate for a back tooth and expect you to cover the difference for composite — ask about that specific clause before treatment rather than after.
What insurance usually covers
Fillings are usually covered at 70–80% as a basic service, after your deductible.
Some plans downgrade back-tooth composites to the amalgam fee and bill you the difference. Ask directly.
Replacing a sound filling for appearance is cosmetic and is not covered.
Frequency limits apply — most plans will not pay twice on the same surface within two years.
FSA and HSA funds cover this in full — it is a qualified medical expense.
In-house 0% plans at 6–24 months, offered by roughly two-thirds of listed practices.
Third-party financing at 24–72 months, typically 9.9%–17.9% APR once the promotional window ends.
Dental school clinics run 40–60% below private fees, with longer timelines and supervised residents.
Get it itemised, in writing — every time
Every component on a separate line. It is the only way two quotes ever become comparable, and every practice on this list has agreed to give you one before you pay a deposit.
Payment calculator
Work out the monthly number before you walk in.
Drag the sliders to your situation. Nothing is submitted anywhere — this runs entirely in your browser.
Estimates only. Actual approval, APR and term depend on the practice, the lender and your credit. Promotional 0% offers are usually deferred-interest products — if the balance is not cleared inside the promotional window, interest may be charged retroactively from the purchase date. Always read the credit agreement.
Compare your options
Composite, amalgam, or an onlay?
Size decides this more than material preference. A filling that is too big for the tooth is the most common reason teeth split.
Ask to see every option planned. A dentist who only ever recommends one route, regardless of the scan, is worth a second opinion.
Composite filling
Amalgam filling
Bonded onlay
Cost
$180 – $450
$150 – $350
$900 – $1,600
Tooth-coloured
Yes
No
Yes
Bonds to the tooth
Yes — less drilling
No — needs undercuts
Yes
Lifespan
7 – 12 years
10 – 15 years
10 – 20 years
Visits
1
1
1 – 2
Suits very large cavities
Flexes and can split the tooth
No
Yes — designed for it
Best when
Small to moderate decay, anywhere in the mouth
Budget is critical and appearance does not matter
The cavity is wider than half the distance between the cusps
How to judge a practice
Four things that separate a good practice from an average one.
None of this is marketing gloss — each one measurably changes how predictable your result is. Ask the practices you shortlist which of the four they actually have.
Imaging
They show you the images
A practice that turns the monitor towards you and walks through what it is actually seeing is a practice that expects to be questioned.
Ask to see your own scan
Pricing
A written, itemised quote
Every fee on its own line, handed over before you pay a deposit. Every practice we list has agreed to provide one.
Non-negotiable on this list
Volume
They do this often
Skill compounds with repetition. Each listing shows how many cases of this type the practice has completed in the last two years.
Case counts shown on every card
Aftercare
Someone answers afterwards
A named contact for the week after treatment, and a written policy on what a redo costs if something is not right.
Checked at every renewal
Inside the network
What a listed practice looks like.
We visit or video-audit every practice before it goes on the list — the operatory, the sterilisation room, the imaging suite and the front desk that will handle your insurance claim.
The operatoryChair, imaging and delivery unitSecond surgerySo urgent cases aren't bumpedSterile protocolAudited at every renewalThe front deskFiles your claim, not youStreet levelParking and access checked
Free consultation
Tell us the situation. We'll do the calling around.
Send this once and up to three matched dentists near you come back with their published filling fees by size and their next available appointment.
Our Austin care team — 11 people, none on commission
1. You send the details
Ninety seconds. Your ZIP, what you need, and your insurance if you have it.
2. We shortlist and forward
We pick the three strongest matches on distance, case volume and price transparency — then send them your case.
3. You compare in writing
Three written estimates in your inbox within two business days. Pick one, or none.
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Saturday8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Sunday9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
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FAQ
Filling questions, answered straight.
Reviewed by our clinical advisory panel in January 2026. General information, not a diagnosis.
Still deciding?
Talk it through with a care coordinator before you book anything. They don't work on commission and they can tell you when this is the wrong call.
Seven to twelve years for a well-placed composite in a back tooth, and longer in a front tooth that takes less load. The gap against amalgam has narrowed a great deal as materials have improved — modern composites are not the short-lived restorations they were in the 1990s. What shortens them most is grinding, a very large filling in a small tooth, and decay restarting at the margin.
The injection is the worst part, and a good dentist warms the anaesthetic, uses topical gel first and delivers it slowly. The drilling itself should be entirely painless. Some sensitivity to cold for a week or two afterwards is normal, particularly for a deep filling. Pain on biting after a week usually means the filling is fractionally high and needs a two-minute adjustment — go back rather than waiting it out.
Not on health grounds. The FDA, ADA and World Health Organization all consider existing amalgam safe to leave in place, and removing sound amalgam releases more mercury vapour than leaving it alone. Replacing it because it has cracked, is leaking, has decay underneath, or because you want a tooth-coloured result is a perfectly reasonable choice — but "sound amalgam" and "failing amalgam" are different situations and you should be told which yours is.
Ask to see the evidence. Decay between teeth shows as a dark shadow on a bitewing X-ray; decay on a biting surface is usually visible in a photograph. A dentist who can point at it on your own images is giving you a diagnosis; one who says "you have a couple that need doing" without showing you anything is asking for trust you have no basis to give.
Size. A filling replaces missing tooth structure inside the remaining walls. An onlay covers one or more cusps, and it exists because a very large filling makes the surrounding walls flex every time you chew until one eventually splits. The rough threshold is whether the cavity is wider than about half the distance between the cusp tips. Beyond that, a $1,200 onlay is often cheaper than a $450 filling plus a $2,300 crown three years later.
Only very early ones. Decay confined to the outer enamel layer can genuinely remineralise with high-fluoride toothpaste, professional fluoride application and a reduction in how often you eat sugar. Once it has crossed into the dentine underneath, it cannot heal and it will keep progressing. Ask which stage yours is at — "watch and remineralise" is a legitimate plan for the early kind.
Most commonly the tooth is simply irritated from the drilling and it settles within two to four weeks. Sensitivity to cold that fades quickly is normal; sensitivity to biting pressure usually means the filling is a fraction too high; and pain that lingers for many seconds after cold, or wakes you at night, can mean the nerve is inflamed and may need root canal treatment. The first is patience, the second is a quick adjustment, the third needs assessing.
Usually, but check for a downgrade clause. A number of plans will pay only what an amalgam filling would have cost on a molar and bill you the difference if you choose composite. It is entirely legal and entirely common. Ask the practice to check your specific plan before treatment — the difference is typically $40 to $120 per tooth.
Imaging
Pricing
Volume
Aftercare
