Fillings are the most common dental treatment in Australia, and one of the most reasonable: a small white filling typically costs $150 to $250, and a larger one $250 to $450. This guide explains what decides the price, what insurance and the CDBS cover, and why a filling today is the cheapest version of the problem you will ever get. It is written for our patients across Western Sydney, from Penrith and Kingswood to St Marys and Jordan Springs.
How Much Does a Tooth Filling Cost in Australia?
| Filling size | Typical cost (2026) | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Small (1 surface) | $150 to $250 | A cavity or chip on one side of the tooth |
| Larger (2 to 3 surfaces) | $250 to $450 | Decay that wraps around more of the tooth |
All our tooth fillings are the white, tooth-coloured kind that blends in with your smile, and every filling is quoted in writing before we pick up a single instrument.
What's Included in the Price?
A properly quoted filling covers the whole job:
- Numbing the tooth so the visit is comfortable
- Removing the decay completely
- Layering and shaping the white filling material to match your tooth
- Hardening it with a special light and polishing it so your bite feels normal
- Checking the fit before you leave
If you have not had a check-up recently, an examination and X-ray may be quoted alongside the filling, because the dentist needs to confirm the decay has not reached deeper into the tooth. That is worth knowing before you compare prices between practices.
What Affects the Cost?
- Size, more than anything. Dentists price fillings by how many surfaces of the tooth they cover. One surface is the bottom of the range, three is the top.
- Where the tooth is. Back teeth are harder to reach and take a little longer. Front teeth can need extra colour-matching care so the repair disappears.
- How deep the decay goes. If decay has crept close to the nerve, the dentist may need to place a protective layer first, and will warn you if the tooth might later need root canal treatment instead.
- How many fillings at once. If you need several, doing them in one or two visits keeps the total down compared with spreading them across many appointments.
Does Health Insurance Cover Fillings?
Yes. Fillings are general dental, which nearly every extras policy with dental cover includes, and annual limits are usually friendly to a filling or two. We accept all health funds and claim on the spot through HICAPS, so you only pay the gap on the day. No insurance? You just pay the quoted price, and payment plans through Afterpay, humm and Denticare are there if the timing is bad.
Kids' Fillings and the CDBS
Fillings are covered by the Child Dental Benefits Schedule for eligible children aged 2 to 17, up to $1,095 over two calendar years, and we bulk bill it. That means a child's filling, caught at a check-up, usually costs a Western Sydney family exactly nothing. Families from Mount Druitt, Blacktown and Glenmore Park use this every week. Call (02) 9053 1995 with your Medicare card handy and we will check your child's eligibility in a minute or two.
The Cheapest Filling Is an Early One
Here is the maths that matters more than any price table. Decay never stays the same size:
- Today: a small spot of decay. One surface, $150 to $250, thirty minutes of your life.
- Next year: the same spot, now through more of the tooth. A larger filling at $250 to $450.
- The year after: the tooth is mostly filling and starts to crack. Now it needs a crown at $1,500 to $2,500.
- Eventually: the decay reaches the nerve. Root canal treatment or an extraction, plus the cost of replacing the tooth.
Same tooth, same original problem, four very different bills. Regular check-ups catch decay at step one, which is why they pay for themselves several times over.
Should You Replace Old Silver Fillings?
Plenty of Western Sydney adults are carrying silver-coloured fillings from decades ago, and a common question at check-ups is whether they should all be swapped for white ones. The honest answer: not automatically. A silver filling that is sealed, intact and comfortable is usually best left alone, and a dentist who suggests replacing every old filling in one go deserves a second opinion.
Replacement makes sense when an old filling is cracked, leaking, worn at the edges or the tooth around it has started to break down. At that point the tooth needs attention anyway, and the replacement is priced like any other filling of that size. We check every existing filling as part of a routine check-up and will tell you plainly which ones are fine and which are due.
How to Make a Filling Last
A well-placed filling should give you years of quiet service, and a little care stretches that further:
- Brush twice a day and clean between teeth. Decay around the edge of a filling is the most common reason one fails.
- Go easy on very hard foods. Ice-crunching and cracking nuts with your teeth shortens the life of teeth and fillings alike.
- Wear a nightguard if you grind. Grinding is brutal on fillings. If you wake with a tight jaw, mention it at your check-up.
- Keep your check-ups. Small edge wear caught early is a polish or a patch, not a whole new filling.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a tooth filling in Australia? Small one-surface fillings are typically $150 to $250, and larger two-to-three-surface fillings $250 to $450.
Are white fillings dearer than metal ones? We place white, tooth-coloured fillings as standard, and the prices above are for white fillings. They bond to the tooth, look natural and do not stand out when you laugh.
Does it hurt? The tooth is numbed first, so you feel pressure but not pain. Most fillings are done in a single short visit.
Will my health fund cover it? Most extras policies with dental cover contribute. We claim through HICAPS on the spot so you only pay the gap.
Are kids' fillings really free? For CDBS-eligible children aged 2 to 17, yes, up to the $1,095 two-year cap. We bulk bill it, so there is no gap for covered treatment.
How long does a filling last? Years, often many years, depending on its size, where it is and how the tooth is cared for. Your dentist checks existing fillings at every check-up and will tell you if one is wearing.
How do I get an exact price? Book an examination and you will have a written, itemised quote before anything happens.
Get a Quote at Your Check-Up
If you suspect a cavity, or it has just been a while, book online or call (02) 9053 1995. We will tell you exactly where things stand and what any filling would cost, in writing, before you decide anything. We are in Ropes Crossing Village with free parking, a few minutes from St Marys, Jordan Springs and Penrith.
