It's going to take more than a new law to 'make a dent in' the city's drug crime. [=a new law is not enough to decrease the city's drug crime]
We tried our best to fix the problem, but nothing we did seems to have 'made a dent'. [=nothing we did has had any effect]
a vacation that won't 'put' too big 'a dent in' your wallet [=a vacation that will not cost a lot of money]
(..) BIFF: You just need the right touch. BIFF: Nobody can start this car but me. MECHANIC: The bill comes to $.. BIFF: $? $ for a couple of dents? That's bullshit. It was horseshit. The whole car was horseshit. MECHANIC: Jones wanted $ to haul it away. BIFF: I bet he resold it. (..)1989 Back to the Future Part II