General wear and tear, an accident or tooth decay can cause damage to your teeth. Your dentist may suggest repairing this with a filling. Fillings are a common procedure for dentists and are a quick and relatively painless way to restore the functionality of your teeth and stop any further deterioration.
White (composite) fillings
At White Rose Dental, dependent upon the location and size of the filling needed, we prefer to use a white (composite) filling. Made from a tooth coloured resin-based putty, not only are white fillings more attractive in appearance as the colour matches your existing teeth, but developments in modern dentistry mean they have increased longevity, and can last for many years.
With silver (amalgam) fillings some healthy tooth may need to be removed to ensure that there is enough space for the filling to sit comfortably, whereas the composite fillings can be bonded directly onto the tooth, meaning there is no need to remove any healthy tooth. This is a much less intrusive procedure and better for your remaining teeth.
How your treatment works
Once your dentist has decided that you need a filling, they will numb the area with a local anesthetic and remove the decayed or damaged section of tooth. They will then ‘fill’ the tooth with the composite and mould it to the exact shape of the original tooth, before setting it with a blue curing light. Once the filling has been completed it should feel completely natural in your mouth and you shouldn’t even be able to tell it’s there. You will have restored functionality and be able to eat, drink and talk as normal. As the fillings are tooth coloured they should blend in and be almost indistinguishable from your natural teeth.