Improving your smile with white fillings in Essex

A white filling, sometimes known as composite, is simply a less noticeable alternative to a silver (amalgam) filling. Colour-matched to your teeth, they are designed to repair a tooth cavity but because the resin is tooth-coloured, they can also be used to repair cracked or chipped teeth.

White fillings take one visit to Braintree Dental Studio and can be easily repaired over time, so they are a very cost effective way of restoring your natural smile.

Thanks to localised anaesthesia, once your dentist has numbed the area, you shouldn’t feel a thing.

Unlike silver amalgam fillings, patients being fitted with white fillings can eat straight after treatment, just as soon as the local anaesthetic wears off. 

When looked after correctly with good dental hygiene, a white filling can last at least as long as a silver amalgam alternative. Typically, a white filling can last for up to 10 years, if not longer.

Most people have fillings off one sort or another in their mouths. Nowadays fillings are not only functional, but can be natural looking as well. Many people don’t want silver fillings that show when they laugh or smile because they are more conscious about the way they look.

Because many white fillings are only available privately, costs can vary quite a lot from dentist to dentist. Costs usually depend on the size and type of white filling used and the time it takes to complete the treatment. Costs may also vary from region to region. As a guide, white fillings start from around £125 each, but your dentist will be able to give you an idea of the cost before you agree to treatment.

White fillings have always been considered less long lasting than silver amalgam fillings. But there are now new materials available with properties comparable to silver amalgam, and these are proving to be very successful. The life expectancy of a white filling can depend greatly on where it is in your mouth and how heavily your teeth come together when you bite. Your dentist can advise you on the life expectancy of your fillings.

It is usually best to change fillings only when your dentist decides that an old filling needs replacing. If so you can ask to have it replaced in a tooth-coloured material. Some dentists prefer not to put white fillings in back teeth, as they are not always successful. One way around this would be to use crowns or inlays, but this can mean removing more of the tooth and can be more expensive.

This can vary, but they are mainly made of glass particles, synthetic resin and a setting ingredient. Your dentist should be able to give you more information about the particular material that they use.

Most dental practices offer white fillings as a normal part of the treatment they give you. However, white fillings are classed as a ‘cosmetic’ treatment, and you can therefore only have them if you pay for them.

Most dental practices offer white fillings as a normal part of the treatment they give you. However, white fillings are classed as a ‘cosmetic’ treatment, and you can therefore only have them if you pay for them.