Dentistry @ JordanhillWest End of Glasgow
White fillings
Modern tooth-coloured fillings that blend with your natural teeth. We use composite resin materials to restore decayed or damaged teeth comfortably and discreetly.
What it fixes
White fillings, also known as composite fillings, are made from a tooth-coloured resin that bonds directly to your tooth. They are hard to see, they need less healthy tooth removed than silver amalgam fillings, they contain no mercury or metal, and for most teeth the filling is placed and hardened in one visit. These are the problems they are used for.
Fillings are usually picked up at a routine examination, often before you feel anything. If you have a tooth that is sensitive, catches food or has a visible hole, book an examination and your dentist will tell you what it needs and what it costs.
Choosing the right treatment
Three ways to restore a tooth, for three different amounts of damage. The examination tells you which the tooth needs; often it is the simplest one.
For decay, a small fracture or an old amalgam filling in any tooth. The damaged part is removed and the cavity is filled with tooth-coloured resin in one visit. The most common and least expensive of the three.
The same resin, used cosmetically on front teeth to rebuild a chipped corner, close a small gap or reshape an edge. No decay involved, usually no drilling and no anaesthetic. A private, cosmetic treatment.
About composite bonding →For a tooth that has lost too much structure for a filling to hold, is cracked, or has had root canal treatment. A ceramic cap covers the whole tooth, made in the laboratory over two visits.
About crowns and bridges →If an old, large filling keeps breaking, that is usually the sign the tooth has moved from a filling to a crown. Your dentist will say so plainly and put the cost of each option in writing.
Your appointment
Most white fillings are placed in a single visit. Here is what happens, step by step.
Afterwards, you can eat as soon as the numbness wears off; the resin is fully set before you leave. Some mild sensitivity to hot and cold afterwards is normal and usually settles quickly. If the filling feels high when you bite together, call us and we adjust it.
Nervous about the dentist? We check you are fully numb before starting, explain each step as we go, and you can stop us at any point by raising a hand.
How we help nervous patients →What it costs
Fees are a guide only. Your dentist will confirm the cost following your examination, before any treatment begins.
Finance is available on larger treatment plans.
Spread the cost of your treatment →Mainly the size of the filling: how many surfaces of the tooth it covers and how much of the tooth has to be rebuilt. A small filling in one surface of a back tooth sits at the lower end of the range; a large filling that rebuilds a corner and the biting surface sits at the upper end. Anterior means a front tooth, posterior a back tooth. Glass ionomer and composite are different materials; your dentist will say which suits the tooth.
See the full fee guide →What patients say
Went in for an emergency appointment for a chipped tooth and pain across jaw. Dr. Radhika was amazing and she did a great job with removing the decay. I was completely pain free after the appointment minus the numbing ofcourse.
All staff friendly, courteous and knowledgeable. Examination was thorough with no discomfort…
Very professional, and so nice, put me at ease as I was very nervous, the receptionist was also lovely, nothing was any bother. What a great practice.
White fillings FAQs
Anything we have not covered, ask at your appointment or call the practice on 0141 334 2550.
Modern composite materials are strong and durable, suitable for both front and back teeth. With good oral hygiene and regular check-ups, white fillings can last many years.
Yes, many patients choose to replace amalgam fillings with tooth-coloured composite. Your dentist will assess the existing filling and advise whether replacement is appropriate. A sound amalgam filling that is not causing problems does not have to be replaced; if it is cracked, leaking or you would simply rather not see it, replacement is straightforward.
The area will be numbed with local anaesthetic before treatment, so you should feel no pain during the procedure. Some mild sensitivity afterwards is normal and usually settles quickly.
At Dentistry @ Jordanhill, a posterior (back tooth) composite filling is £110–£293, an anterior (front tooth) composite filling from £171, and a glass ionomer filling from £147. Fees are a guide only; the size of the filling decides where it sits in the range, and your dentist confirms the cost after your examination.
This depends on the size and location of the filling and your oral hygiene routine. With good care, white fillings typically last between 5 and 10 years, sometimes longer. Small fillings tend to outlast large ones, and fillings in people who grind their teeth wear sooner.
Yes. We use high-quality composite materials that are strong enough for use on back teeth where chewing forces are greatest.
A tooth-coloured filling material that bonds to the tooth and releases fluoride. It is less hard-wearing than composite, so it is generally used where strength matters less: small fillings near the gum line, baby teeth, or as a temporary filling. Your dentist will explain which material suits the tooth.
It depends on the size of the filling and how many are being done. A single small filling is one of the shorter appointments we offer; a large one, or several in the same side of the mouth, takes longer. Your dentist will tell you how long to allow when the appointment is booked.
As soon as the numbness has worn off. Composite is hardened with a light during the appointment, so it is fully set before you leave; the only reason to wait is to avoid biting your numb lip or tongue.
Some sensitivity to hot, cold or biting is common for a few days after a filling, especially a deep one, and usually settles on its own. If it is getting worse rather than better, or the filling feels high when your teeth meet, call the practice; a small adjustment to the bite often solves it.
Composite can pick up staining over the years, particularly at its edges, from tea, coffee, red wine and smoking. Regular hygiene visits keep the surface polished. Tooth whitening does not change the colour of a filling, so if you plan to whiten your front teeth, do that first and have any front fillings matched to the new shade afterwards.
About teeth whitening →Call the practice on 0141 334 2550. A lost or broken filling is not usually an emergency unless the tooth is painful, but the tooth is easier to damage and more prone to decay without it, so it is best seen soon. Keep the area clean and chew on the other side in the meantime.
Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, clean between your teeth, and keep sugary food and drink to mealtimes rather than grazing through the day. Routine examinations pick up early decay while it is still small, and hygiene visits remove the plaque that causes it.
About hygiene visits →Find us in the West End
454 Crow Road, Glasgow G11 7DR
Next to Jordanhill train station, on bus routes, with parking close by. Ground-floor surgery with disabled access at the front of the practice. Opening hours are in the footer below.
Get directions →Book an appointment online or call the practice. If a tooth is painful, say so when you book.