Harley Street Dental Clinic

Once, the only option available to a dentist whose patient needed a filling was to use metal amalgam. This has changed and there are many more aesthetically-pleasing options available. At Harley Street Dental Clinic our team have a variety of ways in which they can replace old metal amalgam fillings with a tooth-coloured alternative.

There is, of course, nothing new about white fillings – they have been around for many years. However, for a long time they were not thought of as being as strong and durable as their metal counterparts. Thanks to advances in both materials used and techniques, white fillings are now considered almost as strong as metal ones.

In the modern world people are increasingly considering the aesthetic appearance of their smile as well as the functionality of any required restorations. Every dentist is now seeing an increasing demand for white or tooth-coloured filling alternatives.

At Harley Street Dental Clinic we embrace advances in techniques and technology, and believe that everybody deserves a smile to be proud of. The procedure to replace metal fillings with white fillings is straightforward and, in most cases, requires a single appointment and just a local anaesthetic.

If you come into our Harley Street practice to have metal fillings replaced, your dentist will ensure your tooth is numb and will remove your old filling. After checking no more decay has occurred (and removing any decayed areas they find) they will then prepare the cavity and place a white filling, which is made from a very hard composite material. This filling will be able to withstand the forces generated by biting and chewing over a considerable period of time.

Where additional strength is required (for a larger filling, or for a back tooth) your dentist may recommend using onlays or inlays, which are a step between a filling and a crown.

Your dentist has several options available to them if you would like to improve the appearance of filled teeth. At Harley Street Dental Clinic our skilled team of cosmetic dentists have helped scores of people to find renewed confidence in their smiles with replacements for metal fillings.

Once, if you needed a filling, the only option was to have a metal amalgam one. Whilst these are both strong and durable, they are also very obvious in the mouth, particularly if they are located near the front. Obvious silver or grey metal amalgam fillings can make you self-conscious about smiling and can dent your self-esteem. Fortunately, at our Harley Street clinic, we are able to replace metal amalgam fillings with more aesthetically pleasing white ones.

White fillings have been around for many years, but were for a long time considered less strong and durable than their metal amalgam counterparts. Thanks to improvements in materials and techniques this has changed, and white fillings are now thought of as almost as strong as metal fillings, and are suitable for use anywhere in the mouth.

Whilst they are described as “white” fillings, they can more accurately be called “tooth-coloured” fillings, because your dentist will carefully select a shade of composite filling material that closely matches the natural colour of your teeth, meaning they will blend in seamlessly and you will be smiling again in no time.

If you come to Harley Street Dental Clinic to have your metal amalgam fillings replaced with white ones, this can usually be completed in a single appointment. Your dentist will remove your old metal filling, along with any additional areas of decay that have developed around it, before shaping the cavity and placing the filling.

For larger cavities, your dentist may opt for a tooth-coloured inlay or onlay (a half-step between a filling and a crown) or a crown if extra strength is needed.