Dental Fillings in Townsville and Bohle Plains

A filling is the smallest, cheapest and least eventful piece of dentistry there is, and it only stays that way if the hole is found early. At Kirwan and Bohle Plains that is most of what a check-up is quietly for.

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Tooth-Coloured, and Why That Is Not Just Cosmetic

We use composite, a tooth-coloured material bonded chemically to the tooth. That bond does actual work: an amalgam filling has to be held in mechanically, which means cutting undercuts into healthy tooth to lock it in. A bonded filling does not, so less sound tooth is removed to place it.

It sets hard in the appointment, so once the numbness wears off you can eat normally. And it does not show.

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Old Silver Fillings

Both clinics work mercury-free, and we remove amalgam and replace it with composite.

Here is the part worth being straight about. An old amalgam filling that is intact, sealed and causing no trouble does not have to come out. Replacing any filling means removing more tooth than you started with, so there should be a reason: decay creeping in underneath, a crack running from it, the filling breaking down at the edges, or the tooth becoming sensitive. Wanting them gone for appearance is a perfectly reasonable reason too, and we will do it. What we will not do is tell you that every silver filling is an emergency.

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Why a Painless Hole Still Needs Filling

Decay is silent until it reaches the nerve. It does not start hurting when it becomes serious, it starts hurting when it becomes expensive, and at that point a filling is no longer the treatment. Root canal treatment or an extraction is.

This is also why x-rays get taken at check-ups. Decay between two teeth is completely invisible from the outside until it is large enough to see with the eye, by which point it usually is not a small filling any more.

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When a Filling Is Not Enough

Each time a tooth is refilled a little more of it goes, and eventually there is not enough left for another filling to be safe. Then the honest answer is a crown, which holds the tooth together rather than wedging it apart.

For teeth caught earlier, silver diamine fluoride can sometimes arrest early decay without a drill, which is particularly useful for very young children and for anyone who cannot manage a long appointment.

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Getting It Done in Kirwan and Bohle Plains

Both Townsville clinics do this work. The Kirwan clinic is on Thuringowa Drive, near The Willows, and the Bohle Plains clinic is inside the Kalynda Chase estate, in Townsville’s western growth corridor. Use whichever is closer to you, and the follow-up is at the same place.

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Kirwan and Bohle Plains: What Is the Same, and What Differs

Fillings are done the same way at both clinics, so use whichever is closer. What they share is more than what separates them:

• At both clinics: tooth-coloured composite fillings, mercury-free amalgam replacement, inlays and onlays, fissure sealants, intraoral cameras, bulk billing under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule for eligible children, HICAPS claiming and on-site parking. Hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm.
• Where they differ: the location, and the Bohle Plains clinic has a kids’ play corner.

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Small, Medium and Large

The size of the hole decides the treatment. A small one on a single surface is a straightforward filling. As more of the tooth is involved, the filling has to do more of the work of holding the tooth together, and at some point it stops being the right tool.

The step between a filling and a crown is an inlay or onlay, which rebuilds part of the biting surface without covering the whole tooth. Both are available at both clinics. Which one a tooth needs depends on how much sound tooth is left, which is why an x-ray and a look with the intraoral camera come first.

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Finding Decay Early

Most small fillings begin at a check-up rather than with a toothache. The intraoral cameras at both clinics let you see for yourself what the dentist is pointing at, x-rays show decay between the teeth, and recall reminders are sent by SMS so the next check-up does not slip a year.

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Children and Prevention

Where a child is eligible, the Child Dental Benefits Schedule is bulk billed at both clinics, and that page sets out who is eligible and what it covers.

The better result for a child’s tooth is not needing the filling at all. Fissure sealants, a thin protective coating over the deep grooves of the back teeth, are available at both clinics, and regular check-ups are what find a small hole while it is still small. There is more on our children’s dentistry page.

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Replacing Several Old Fillings

If your mouth has a lot of older fillings, you do not have to deal with them all at once. The ones that are cracked, leaking or sitting over decay come first, and the rest can be watched or done over several visits. Wanting amalgam gone for appearance is a reasonable reason too. Our mercury-free dentistry page explains how we approach it.

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After the Appointment

The numbness lasts for a while after the injection, so take care not to bite your cheek, lip or tongue, and wait until the feeling has come back before eating. If the filling feels high when you bite, ring the clinic where it was placed, because it can usually be adjusted. Cold sensitivity that is easing is normal. Sensitivity that is getting worse is worth a phone call.

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Paying for a Filling

Fillings usually fall under general dental cover, and we claim health fund rebates through HICAPS at both clinics. We are a preferred provider for nine funds, listed on our health funds page. DVA card holders are seen at both clinics, and there is more on our page for veterans.

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Who We See Around Kirwan and Bohle Plains

Nearly half of the families at Bohle Plains are couples with children, and Kirwan is a large established suburb, so the points above on children’s fillings and the Child Dental Benefits Schedule are relevant to many households nearby.

Bohle Plains is one of Townsville’s youngest suburbs: the median age is 28, against 38 across Queensland, and 48.5% of local families are couples with children. Defence is the largest employer of Bohle Plains residents, at 18.2%, and we see DVA card holders at both clinics.

Kirwan is one of Townsville’s largest suburbs, with 20,780 residents and a median age of 38, in line with the state. Together the two clinics serve the western side of Townsville.

Population figures: ABS 2021 Census QuickStats for Bohle Plains and Kirwan.

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What It Costs

The fee depends on the size of the filling and how many surfaces it covers, and you are told it before treatment starts. We claim health fund rebates through HICAPS at the desk, and eligible children are bulk billed under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, which covers fillings. Both clinics also accept Queensland Health vouchers.