A cavity found at a checkup, an old silver filling that has worn or cracked, or one that came out over the weekend: all of them end up as the same question, how much of the tooth is left to repair. Dr. Henry Kim, DMD repairs cavities with natural-looking tooth-colored fillings, tells you honestly when a tooth needs more than a filling, and puts the price in writing first. The office is just off Lake Street in Bloomingdale, and it starts with a $99 new-patient exam.
Fillings are a routine repair, and they come up in four ways. A cavity turns up on an X-ray at a checkup. An old filling wears at the edges or cracks. A filling comes out, usually at the worst time. Or a dark filling shows when you smile and you would like it replaced.
Each is a repair of the same kind, with one question underneath it: is enough sound tooth left to hold a filling? If so, a tooth-colored filling is the answer. If not, the tooth needs a larger restoration. The guide to when a filling needs a crown explains the threshold.
Worth asking any office, this one included.
Not every cavity ends in a filling. When too little sound tooth is left, a filling would not hold. Dr. Kim places onlays, the partial-coverage restoration between a large filling and a full crown, and a full crown is the right call when walls are compromised. The final decision is made once the old filling or decay is out and what remains can be measured.
No ignoring a filling that hurts. A lost filling, or one that aches, is a reason to call. The guide on what causes sudden tooth pain lists the usual causes and what to do.
No price from a photo. What a filling costs depends on the tooth and how much it takes, so it is quoted after the exam.
Cavities do not wait for a good week, and they show up in children as well as adults. This is a family practice, so a child’s first filling and a parent’s replacement of an old one can be handled in the same office, and parents and kids can book back to back.
If a chipped edge or a dark filling is what bothers you, cosmetic dentistry and bonding for a chipped front tooth cover the conservative options.
Every new patient starts with the $99 exam with X-rays. The cost of a filling depends on the tooth and how much of it needs repair, so you get a written quote before any work begins.
Most PPO dental plans are accepted and the office files claims for you. Financing is available for bigger plans.
Even a routine filling comes with questions, and they are easier to ask in your own words. The office speaks Vietnamese, Korean and Spanish. Tell the office your preference when you call.
The office is at 183 S. Bloomingdale Rd., Suite #102, Bloomingdale, IL 60108, just off Lake Street, with parking at the door. If you are coming from Addison or Itasca, the Itasca dentist page and the Addison dentist page give the routes.
Dr. Henry Kim, DMD, 183 S. Bloomingdale Rd., Suite #102, Bloomingdale, IL 60108. See the bio page or the new patients page.
The practice is rated 4.8 stars across 126 Google reviews; the reviews page has the rest.
“I was surprised at how comfortable going to the dentist could be! The staff were all very friendly, and Dr. Henry explained everything carefully, which made me feel completely at ease.”
Jake Park, Google review
Natural-looking fillings that repair cavities without the old silver metal. They are matched to the tooth, so they do not stand out when you smile.
It comes down to how much sound tooth is left once the decay is out. A filling replaces decay, a crown replaces structure. Dr. Kim tells you which, using the X-ray and scan.
Yes. Old fillings that have worn, cracked or started to show dark can be looked at and replaced, and you are told whether the tooth under them needs more than a new filling.
Call the office and describe the tooth. If it hurts, say so, and the staff will tell you how soon to come in.
An onlay covers one or more worn or broken cusps and then stops, leaving sound walls alone. Dr. Kim places them, and they sit between a large filling and a full crown.
Appointments can be booked back to back, so a parent and child can be seen together where the schedule allows.
It depends on the tooth and how much it takes. You get a written quote after the $99 exam, before any work, and financing is available.
Call (224) 520-8665 or use the contact form and mention the tooth.
Book the $99 exam and find out what the tooth needs, with the price in writing before any work. Call (224) 520-8665.
Related pages: family dentistry · crowns and bridges · when a filling needs a crown · cosmetic dentistry · root canal · all services