White fillings blend seamlessly with your natural teeth, to ensure they are not visible when you laugh and smile.

Fillings are used to restore teeth that have been damaged by decay or have been cracked or broken.

Over recent years there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of amalgam or silver fillings placed with a move towards white fillings that blend with your teeth so are not visible when you laugh or smile. Composite or white fillings are made using a powdered glass and acrylic resin and due to recent technological advances, these fillings can now be used to restore teeth in any part of your mouth.

 

Treatment

The tooth will first be numbed using a local anaesthetic so that you will not be able to feel the dentist working on your tooth. The tooth is then prepared, with any decay removed and shaped to support the filling. If there is a large hole the dentist may place a small stainless-steel pin in place to help strengthen the tooth. The cavity will then be filled. Once hardened the dentist will shape and polish the filling so that it fits comfortably within your bite.

By having a tooth filled and treated quickly after decay or a crack is noticed you can prevent the tooth from deteriorating further and avoids the need for more extensive dental treatment.

Benefits of white fillings

White fillings match the colour of your natural teeth – this means that fillings will not be visible when you laugh and smile

White fillings preserve the tooth structure – white fillings require less preparation of the tooth, this means that you are able to retain more of the healthy tooth structure

White fillings harden instantly – by using a special curing light the dentist is able to set the filling instantly meaning that you will be able to eat on it as normal as soon as the anaesthetic wears off

White fillings strengthen teeth – white fillings are bonded to the tooth and as they are not susceptible to temperature change can help to strengthen and protect the tooth, reducing the risk of further breaks