They shouldn't, because we numb the tooth first, so you'll notice vibration and pressure rather than pain. If injections worry you, we put numbing gel on first and go at your pace. For very small fillings some people prefer to skip the injection, and that's your choice. Once the numbness wears off, the tooth may be a little sensitive to cold for a week or two, which is normal. If it aches when you bite after that, the filling may need a small adjustment, so let us know.

White Fillings in Hamilton

Fillings That Blend in with Your Teeth

Q: What do 'surfaces' mean on a filling price list?

Each tooth has five surfaces, and the price of a filling depends on how many of them it covers. Think of a tooth as a box: the top you chew on, the face towards your lips or cheek, the face towards your tongue, and the front and back walls that touch its neighbours. A small hole on the chewing surface is a one-surface filling, whereas decay between two back teeth often spreads to two or three. Your dentist will tell you how many are involved before starting.

Q: How long does it take to get a white filling?

Most white fillings take one appointment of 30 to 60 minutes, depending on size. The composite goes in layers, each hardened with a blue curing light, then it's shaped to your bite and polished. Because it's fully set before you leave, there's no waiting before you can chew on it; the only wait is for the numbness to wear off.

Q: Can I get white fillings on the NHS in Scotland?

Partly: the NHS provides tooth-coloured fillings where they're clinically appropriate, mainly at the front of the mouth, while molars and premolars commonly get silver amalgam. Every filling we place privately is white. Registered NHS patients can also pay privately for a white filling on a back tooth (from £118 for one surface) while staying on the NHS for everything else. See our white fillings page.

Q: Should I get my old amalgam fillings replaced?

Only if there's a good reason, such as a crack, decay under the filling, a leaking edge, or because it bothers you when you smile. A sound amalgam filling can be left alone, and drilling it out for no reason means losing more healthy tooth each time. The X-rays at your dental examination show which fillings are failing. If you want some swapped for appearance, we can plan it gradually; our guide on changing metal fillings to white explains more.

Q: How soon can I eat after a filling?

With a white filling, food is fine once the feeling has come back, since the curing light hardens the composite completely during the appointment. The reason to wait is the numbness itself: it's easy to bite your lip, cheek or tongue without feeling it. Children especially need watching for this. If you must eat sooner, pick something soft and chew on the other side.

A white filling at our Hamilton practice costs from £105 on a front tooth and £118 on a back tooth, depending on how much of the tooth it covers. Most are finished in a single appointment of half an hour to an hour. ¹

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On a dental plan, a one-surface back filling is £106 instead of £118. ¹ Children are registered and treated on the NHS straight away, and we are registering new NHS adults now.

Your dentistDr Karanveer Singh BDS (Belfast)Associate dentist providing dental examinations, fillings, crowns and everyday care. GDC 338041.Meet Dr Singh ›

When You Might Need One

Composite sticks to enamel, so we use it for far more than holes.

A Cavity Found at Your Dental Examination

Often it doesn't hurt yet. Catching it while it's small means a small, cheap filling.

An Old Silver Filling That's Failing

Cracked, leaking at the edge, or with fresh decay creeping in underneath.

A Chipped Corner

Rebuilt in a shade that matches. On front teeth, the same material is used for composite bonding.

A Notch at the Gum Line

Hard brushing and acid wear a groove that stings with cold. Covering it usually stops that.

Decay Close to the Nerve

We place a protective MTA lining underneath first (£60), which gives the nerve the best chance of settling.

A Tooth with Little Left

A full composite build-up (£350) holds the tooth together, either for good or as a base for a crown.

Your Appointment, Step by Step

One visit for almost every filling.

Finding the Problem

Decay between teeth hides from the eye. A small X-ray shows its size, and we talk you through the image and the fee.

Local Anaesthetic

A numbing gel goes on first, then the injection. Small, shallow fillings sometimes need none at all.

Clearing the Decay

Only the soft, decayed part is removed. Keeping the tooth dry at this stage matters, because moisture weakens the bond.

Building It Back

Composite goes in a little at a time, each layer hardened with a blue light, then shaped to your bite and polished smooth.

Is a Filling Enough?

A filling works well while the walls of the tooth are thick and sound. Once a large share of the tooth has gone, a big filling flexes every time you chew and can split the tooth.

Modest cavity, strong walls: a white filling

Back tooth missing a cusp, sides still good: a ceramic onlay

Root-filled molar, or more filling than tooth: a crown

Front tooth worn or chipped, not decayed: bonding

Guide: choosing between a crown, onlay and filling

How Long They Last

Expect five to ten years from a composite filling, and many go well beyond that. Small ones on low-stress surfaces tend to outlast big ones on molars that take the full force of chewing.

Three things cut that short: grinding at night, frequent sugary drinks or snacks, and new decay starting at the edge. A dental examination spots all three before the filling fails.

If something does go wrong, the usual sign is a rough edge your tongue keeps finding, food packing between two teeth, or a new sensitivity to sweet things. Book in rather than waiting for it to hurt.

What About Silver Fillings?

We don't drill out a sound amalgam filling just because it's grey. Removing it takes away more tooth, and a healthy one can last for decades.

It's worth replacing when it has cracked, when decay has started under it, or when it shows when you laugh and that bothers you. At your exam we'll tell you which of yours fall into which group. Our guide on swapping metal for white has more.

NHS patients: the material used on the NHS depends on the tooth and on NHS rules, and back teeth are sometimes filled with amalgam. If you'd like white on a back tooth, we can do it privately.

Filling Prices

A tooth has five surfaces, and the fee depends on how many the filling covers. Your written plan gives the exact figure before we start, and plan members pay 10% less. Checked October 2026. ¹

Feature	Front tooth	Back tooth
1 surface	£105	£118
2 surfaces	£130	£145
3 surfaces	£145	£165
4 surfaces	£175	£180
5 surfaces	£240	£210

Composite build-up	£350
MTA nerve liner	£60
Deep margin elevation, for decay below the gum	£105
New patient exam, X-rays included	£70

Full price list

After Your Filling

Composite is hard the moment the light goes off, so you can eat once the feeling is back. Until then, go carefully or you may chew your lip

Mild twinges with cold for a fortnight are common. If it's getting worse, or it throbs, phone us

Teeth meeting unevenly? A high spot takes a few minutes to smooth, so don't put up with it

Floss or use interdental brushes daily; most new decay starts between teeth

Cutting the Risk of More

How often you have sugar matters more than how much. Keep sweet things to mealtimes, use a fluoride toothpaste and spit rather than rinse.

For anyone who clenches or grinds, a night guard protects fillings as well as teeth. Regular visits to Simra, our hygienist, keep the edges of fillings clean.

Questions

Prices, NHS options and what it feels like.

How much is a white filling in Hamilton?–

A one-surface white filling in Hamilton costs £105 at the front of the mouth or £118 further back. ¹ Bigger fillings that cover more of the tooth cost more, so a three-surface filling on a back tooth is £165. Dental plan members pay 10% less, for example £106 for a one-surface back filling. We confirm the fee before we start.

What do 'surfaces' mean on a filling price list?+

Do fillings hurt?+

How long does it take to get a white filling?+

Can I get white fillings on the NHS in Scotland?+

Should I get my old amalgam fillings replaced?+

How soon can I eat after a filling?+

Guides

Filling Guides

All general dentistry guides

General dentistry · 6 minute read

Toothache after hours: what to do

Get the Tooth Checked

Sensitive, rough or broken? An exam and X-ray show whether it needs a filling or something more, and you'll have the fee in writing first.

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