Easing children into the dentist’s chair has become a tad easier with the promise of colour fillings to their cavities.

Dr Swarna Manikandan who has added a dash of colour to the teeth of more than 100 children, says, “The colour fillings are aimed at children below 10 years and help close cavities of the temporary teeth at the back of the mouth – molars and premolars.”

The children go through the agonizing experience with little or no fuss in return for some vibrant colours embellishing their teeth.

The children needing fillings are invited to choose their favourite colours from a shade card containing hues such as light green, pink, blue, berry, orange, gold and even yellow.

Pink and blue top the list, the dentist says.

The colour compomer fillings are a combination of the typical composite and glass ionomer, which are not meant to last long as they help fill cavities of temporary teeth.

The yearning for colour fillings is strong only among children below 10 years. They quickly grow out of it, says Dr Swarna.

Cajoling the children for the impending dental exercise has become a lot easier with colour fillings, says Dr Swarna, who has been using these fillings for more than 10 years.

Produced by Voco, the colour fillings known by the name Twinky Star, has been in the market for 10 years.
“It’s not very prevalent as not too many people know about this,” she said.

Since it’s customary for parents to opt for white fillings, most of them talk their children out of colour fillings, Dr Swarna says.

But some come forward to accept their children’s choice to put some colour on their teeth, she said.

For instance, it was a splash of colours for Jaahnvi who had six of her cavities filled with different colours at the age of four. Her mother Alamelu Mangai said she opted for colour fillings as it was something new and worth trying and temporary anyway. Now aged six, Jaahnvi has a great time flaunting the colours to her school friends.

But with regular dental check-ups and increased awareness, preventive fillings are becoming common, reducing the need for fillings – colour or not.