Fillings

Dental amalgam fillings, or silver fillings, are a well-established way to fill cavities and repair damage to the tooth structure. The filling material used is hard wearing and is made from elemental mercury, silver, tin and copper.

No, they do not pose a serious health risk.

Some patients choose to replace their old silver dental fillings with those made from composite resins. This is entirely up to the patient, for whilst amalgam fillings are durable and inexpensive, some people prefer to opt for a white composite filling, which has the advantage of being tooth coloured.

Whilst small amounts of elemental mercury can leak as vapour, levels of mercury found in these dental fillings are not significant enough to lead to adverse health effects.

Any tooth which has had decay and a filling will have weak points which will make it more prone to cracks. Teeth that have had large amalgam fillings are more likely to crack than those with smaller fillings. Therefore, it is important to maintain regular check-up appointments to monitor these teeth.

The filling materials used can corrode over time causing the dental filling to expand and contract. You should maintain good oral hygiene and regular visits to your dentist to try to maintain your fillings and detect any problems at an early stage.

They set partially in 1 hour and are at full strength in about 24 hours.

Sometimes known as silver fillings, these dental fillings are silver in colour.

It can take anything from 20 minutes to an hour to place a dental filling.

One of the most common reasons for fillings falling out is when tooth decay develops underneath the dental filling, causing the filling to be lost. Maintaining a good dental care routine can prevent this from happening and extend the life of your fillings.

Composite material used for white dental fillings may contain non-dietary gluten, a common additive in plastic.

The filling materials used for white composite dental fillings are made from powdered glass quartz, silica or other ceramic particles added to a resin base.

How long to wait before eating depends on which type of filling you opt for. Dental amalgam fillings can take up to 24 hours to harden, so we recommend waiting for this time period to pass before chewing on the side of the mouth where the filling is located. White dental fillings harden immediately, however you may wish to wait at least two hours if you’re still numb from anaesthetic.

Amalgam fillings are the more traditional silver fillings. If you don’t want your fillings to show inside your mouth, a white filling, made from a composite material that bonds to the natural tooth structure, is the best option. White fillings can be moulded and then bonded to your tooth, which can mean less drilling is required, and less of the tooth needs to be removed to place the filling.

No. Fillings are carried out under a local anaesthetic to numb the area so you won’t feel a thing during treatment, and white fillings require much less drilling than amalgam. If you are at all nervous about having an injection, do let us know so that we can gently help you through the procedure – we have a number of tried and tested techniques at our disposal and lots of experience helping nervous patients.

Some patients experience extra sensitivity for up to three weeks after the treatment, which gradually subsides. For most, though, a filling treatment is very straightforward. The anaesthetic wears off after 1–3 hours and after that you should be able to return to normal activity. Children must be observed until the anaesthesia has completely worn off.

White dental fillings have an average lifespan of around seven years, though this can be much longer if you follow a good oral hygiene routine at home.

White dental fillings have the major advantage of being tooth-coloured, so your filling closely matches the colour of your teeth. It’s also a more conservative option, as fewer parts of the tooth are removed when placing a white composite filling.