Dental Fillings · Tustin, CA
Tooth-Colored Dental Fillings in Tustin, CA
A dental filling at Marta Rudat DDS in Tustin, CA repairs a cavity in one visit, usually in 30 to 60 minutes. We use tooth-colored composite matched to your enamel, priced at $150 to $450 per filling, with most PPO plans covering a large share. You'll have the cost in writing at your exam, and Dr. Rudat does the work herself.
Book an appointment or call and we'll find a time that works.
Written by the Dr. Marta Rudat DDS team · Medically reviewed by Marta Rudat, DDS, practicing in Tustin for 15+ years. Last reviewed September 2026.
The visit
What happens when you get a filling
The tooth is numbed first, and the numbing is the only part most patients feel. Dr. Rudat removes the decay, cleans the area, then builds the tooth back in thin layers of composite resin, hardening each layer with a curing light. She shapes it, checks your bite, and polishes it smooth.
How long does a filling take?
About 30 to 60 minutes for a single tooth, and it's done in one visit. If you need more than one filling, we can often handle them in the same appointment when they're in the same area of your mouth, so you're only numb once.
The composite is fully hardened by the curing light, so the filling is solid before you leave the chair.
Composite vs. silver
Tooth-colored composite vs. silver fillings
We place composite fillings, the tooth-colored kind. Two reasons, and appearance is the smaller one.
Composite bonds directly to your tooth, which means Dr. Rudat only removes the decayed part and keeps the healthy structure. Silver amalgam doesn't bond, so it needs a mechanically locked shape that sacrifices more healthy tooth. Bonding also seals the margins, the edges where old fillings typically start to leak.
The second reason is the obvious one: a white filling matched to your enamel disappears. Nobody sees your dental work when you laugh.
Replacing old silver fillings. If you have amalgam fillings from years back, the question is condition, and Dr. Rudat checks it at every dental exam. A silver filling with worn or leaking margins is worth replacing. One that's still sealed and doing its job can stay, and she'll tell you which is which. Patients who want them swapped for cosmetic reasons can have that done tooth by tooth.
Cost
What does a cavity filling cost in Tustin?
A tooth-colored filling at our Tustin office runs $150 to $450 per filling. Where yours lands depends on the size of the cavity and how many surfaces of the tooth it involves.
With PPO insurance. Fillings count as basic restorative care, which most PPO plans cover at a meaningful percentage after your deductible, commonly 70 to 80%. We're in network with Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Delta Dental, Guardian, and UnitedHealthcare, and our front desk verifies your benefits, so the estimate you get is the real number.
Without insurance. You'll have the itemized cost in writing at your exam, per tooth. Members of our membership plan get a discount on fillings on top of covered exams and cleanings.
One number worth holding onto: a filling is the cheap version of this problem. The same tooth left alone becomes a crown, then a root canal. The filling is the exit ramp.
Comfort
Does getting a filling hurt?
No. The tooth is numbed with local anesthetic, and what you feel during the procedure is pressure and vibration rather than pain. Patients regularly tell us the visit was easier than the week they spent dreading it.
Sensitivity after a filling is normal and temporary. Cold sensitivity or a tender bite for a few days, sometimes up to two weeks, is the tooth settling down. If your bite feels high, like the filled tooth touches first when you close, call us. That's a five-minute adjustment, and it shouldn't be toughed out.
If dental anxiety is what kept the cavity untreated this long, say so when you book. We schedule one patient at a time, and we'll pace the visit around you.
Longevity
How long do fillings last?
Composite fillings typically last 7 to 10 years, and often longer with good home care. What shortens their life: grinding your teeth at night, chewing ice, and skipping the checkups where small problems around a filling get caught early.
Every filling gets checked at your regular dental exams, and regular teeth cleaning visits keep decay from starting at the edges. If you grind at night, a night guard protects every filling you own at once.
When a cavity is too large for a filling to hold, a dental crown is the next step, and Dr. Rudat will show you on the X-ray why one or the other is the right call.
If one breaks
Filling fell out or broke?
Call us. An exposed cavity collects bacteria fast, and a tooth that lost its filling is a tooth on a timer. Most of the time it's painless at first, which tempts people to wait. Waiting is how a refill becomes a root canal.
The drugstore temporary filling kits are fine for exactly one purpose: protecting the tooth for the day or two until your appointment. They're a bandage, and they fail without warning.
We handle same-week and often same-day visits for this.
Visit us
Where to find us
We're at 1076 E First Street, Suite D, Tustin, CA 92780, a few minutes from Old Town. Patients come to us from across Tustin, Tustin Ranch, and Tustin Legacy, and from the North Tustin and Cowan Heights areas.
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 8:00 to 5:00.
Frequently asked
Dental filling questions, answered.
How much is a dental filling without insurance?
A tooth-colored filling at our Tustin office runs $150 to $450 per filling, depending on the size of the cavity and how many surfaces it involves. You'll have the exact per-tooth cost in writing at your exam, and membership plan patients get a discount on top.
How long does a filling take?
About 30 to 60 minutes for one tooth, completed in a single visit. Multiple fillings in the same area of the mouth can often be done in one appointment, so you're only numbed once.
Does a filling hurt?
No. The tooth is numbed first, and you'll feel pressure and vibration rather than pain. Some cold sensitivity or bite tenderness for a few days afterward is normal while the tooth settles.
How long do fillings last?
Composite fillings typically last 7 to 10 years, often longer with good brushing, flossing, and regular checkups. Night grinding and chewing ice shorten that. Every filling is checked at your routine exams so wear gets caught before it becomes a problem.
Can I eat after a filling?
The composite is fully hardened before you leave, so the filling itself is ready. Wait until the numbness wears off before chewing, so you don't bite your cheek or tongue, and give a sensitive tooth a day before very hot or cold foods.
Why is my tooth sensitive after a filling?
Cold and pressure sensitivity for a few days, up to a couple of weeks, is a normal part of the tooth settling after decay removal. If the bite feels high or sensitivity gets worse instead of better, call us. A bite adjustment takes minutes and usually solves it.
Do you replace silver fillings?
Yes. Silver fillings with worn, cracked, or leaking margins should be replaced, and Dr. Rudat checks yours at every exam. Fillings that are still sealed can stay, and patients who want them replaced for cosmetic reasons can have that done tooth by tooth with matched composite.
Book with Dr. Rudat
One visit. One tooth fixed.
If you know you have a cavity, or a filling that's seen better days, the fix is an hour in the chair with the cost in writing first.
Dr. Marta Rudat DDS · 1076 E First Street, Suite D, Tustin, CA 92780
Request a visit
Book a visit for a tooth-colored filling in Tustin.
Prefer to talk to a person? Call (714) 665-4200 during office hours.
