Our teeth go through quite a lot from our daily diet and activities, and over time this continued abuse can start to manifest itself on your teeth in the form of cracks, damage and decay. Fillings tend to be the best way of countering this, but for many patients it can be hard to tell when you need them and if these kinds of problems are left unchecked, they can become much worse.

So with that in mind, here are a few signs that mean you may need to come in for white fillings in Wimbledon.

What are fillings?

Coming in for white fillings in Wimbledon is fairly common and a lot of our patients end up with one or more at some point in their lifetime. The fillings are basically a covering that we place on your teeth to fill in any cracks or holes and to prevent the further spread of any decay that might be eating away at the enamel of your tooth or the insides of it.

What causes tooth decay?

 Tooth decay is fairly common amongst patients and the causes can surprisingly vary.

As an example, decay can start to appear if there are cracks in your teeth or if you have managed to damage them, either through a fall or while playing sports. Another common cause for decay being present in a patient’s teeth is if they have a poor oral health routine. Not regularly cleaning your teeth can cause plaque to build up, which  can cause degenerative diseases like gingivitis to occur.

Diet also plays a huge factor, as food and drinks that are high in acidity can speed up the rate at which your teeth wear down.

At Wimbledon Dental Care our talented team will help you diagnose the source of your problem quickly to get you on the way to a healthier smile in no time at all.

The signs of tooth decay

As we mentioned above there are a number of different causes of tooth decay, but there are signs to keep an eye out for.

For example, if you start to experience a constant throbbing or sharp pain in your teeth that doesn’t go away, even after you use pain killers, then you should immediately contact the practice for an appointment. Or if there’s a lot of sensitivity when you chew or touch one of your teeth.

Should you ignore it?

In any case of suspected tooth decay you should absolutely not ignore it. If you do, you will open yourself up to more decay, as well as infections that could spread into your jawbone and disintegrate the bone and cause more teeth to fall out, or become loose. You will also be susceptible to gum disease and potential tooth extraction, to contain and prevent any further infections or decay from occurring.

These are just a few interesting facts about fillings and what signs you should keep an eye out for. If you would like to know more or need to check if you require a filling then contact our practice and have a chat with our team.

Wimbledon Dental Care is located in the very heart of Wimbledon and since 1950, we have been dedicated to providing not only a first class dental service, but unrivalled patient care. We believe that our patients are at the very centre of our practice and we are pleased that many of our new referrals come from family and friends of our existing patients. So whether it is routine and preventative dentistry you require, or a cosmetic treatment to give you whiter teeth, Wimbledon Dental Care is your go-to dentist in Wimbledon.

Why choose us?

A great smile is probably the most precious gift any of us would love to give to ourselves. A knock-out smile can increase our confidence and sense of well-being and really put a spring back into our step. A fantastic smile and whiter teeth are no longer reserved for movie stars and celebrities. Modern advancements in dental technology can help to deliver whiter teeth and a killer smile, at a cost that will frankly keep you smiling.

 Who are we?

Wimbledon Dental Care is not just about cosmetic dentistry. We specialise in a wide variety of dental treatments that will get you smiling again. Preventative care is at the heart of good oral health and regular check ups and cleaning is essential to optimising your dental health. Beyond this,we offer general dentistry, including extractions, root canal treatment and, when necessary, emergency appointments. Our team also has vast experience in implant dentistry, which utilises titanium posts to act as an anchor for bridges, crowns and dentures which look and act like natural, whiter teeth. Our team of highly trained dentists strive to deliver dental excellence and our welcoming support staff are trained and experienced in welcoming you and making you feel at ease during your visit with us.

Your visit

Upon arrival, you will be greeted by a member of our friendly staff and asked to complete a medical questionnaire which will give us an insight and overview of you current health. You will then meet with your dentist who will perform a comprehensive examination to determine the condition of your oral health. If treatment is required, we will then review and discuss the options available to you, and together we will design a treatment program which will help you achieve the results you require. We will discuss the costs involved in your treatment and a likely time-scale. We offer a variety of payment options for your convenience, allowing you to spread the costs of your treatment with easy affordable monthly payments. If no treatment is needed, we will simply advise you of a maintenance program, in order to ensure your optimum oral health.

Why not get in touch with Wimbledon Dental Care today and discover why getting the smile of your dreams could be a lot simpler than you thought!

Wouldn’t it be nice if, when you open your mouth for a good yawn or laugh, people are not given a chance to count how many fillings you have? Imagine if they just saw rows of white teeth with mounds and valleys.

It’s no good wishing you could turn back the clock and be a better tooth-brusher, but you can get rid of the grey look and replace it with white fillings. They look so real that no one will know they are not made of enamel.

Composite resin

White fillings are made from a material called composite resin. This is a mixture of plastic and glass. It has been improved upon over the years and the white fillings of today are much more robust than 20 or 30 years ago. In fact, in many ways white fillings outperform amalgam, and we’re not just talking about looks here.

Stronger teeth

When we put in a white filling here at Wimbledon Dental Care in Wimbledon, we don’t need to remove as much healthy tooth material as we do with amalgam. This means that your tooth is stronger and likely to last longer.

No gaps

If you look at a close-up picture of an amalgam filling, you can often see a little ring around the edge of it. This is a gap. No matter how tightly we pack the cavity, there’s always a tiny gap with amalgam. And any gap is a space that decay-causing bacteria can get into. With white fillings, we can bond the filling material to your tooth, so there is no gap and no chance of decay forming under the filling.

Mounds and valleys

White fillings go in as a paste but are cured and hardened with a UV light. We build them up above the surface of the tooth and then shape them to recreate the chewing surfaces we have had to remove. Amalgam is too soft to do this with. Amalgam fillings are flat and not so effective at chewing.

Next time you need a filling, whether it’s a new filling or to replace one that is failing, do ask about white fillings. We think you’ll like the difference they can make to your mouth.

Wondering what to treat you or your loved ones to for Christmas? In lives already stuffed full of stuff, maybe there is a better gift you can give, such as transforming their smile by replacing ugly amalgam fillings with white ones.

What are fillings made of?

Amalgam is a mixture of silver tin and mercury. Mercury makes the filling material pliable. Although the British Dental Association has declared amalgam fillings to be safe, there’s no getting away from the fact that they look pretty awful.

White fillings, on the other hand, are made of a mixture of plastic and glass. Once they are in place, you’d have to stare pretty hard to spot them.

White fillings are strong

White fillings do not require the removal of as much healthy tooth material when you have a new cavity filled. The actual white composite resin is also much stronger these days too. So, with white fillings, you get strong teeth.

Less chance of more decay

White filings also bond with the teeth. They are put in in layers. Each one is cured hard and bonded seamlessly to your tooth with a UV lamp before the next layer goes in. Amalgam fillings are only packed in tight. Bacteria can still get in around the edges and cause decay under the filling. Not so with white fillings.

Filled teeth with all the right curves

Natural back teeth have grooves and ridges on their surfaces. These are cutting edges designed to make it easier to turn food into a paste that we can swallow. We can recreate these chewing surfaces by sculpting white fillings once we have put them in. We can’t do this with amalgam, which lies flat within your tooth.

Replacing amalgam fillings

At Wimbledon Dental Care in Wimbledon, we can replace amalgam fillings with white fillings. When we do this, we are very careful to make sure that all the amalgam is safely removed from your mouth.

Bit by bit or all at once

We can do one filling at a time, or you can have the whole lot done. Why not suggest this as an alternative Christmas present and give your loved one their beautiful smile back?

Having a slight flaw in your smile, while it most likely goes unnoticed by others, can have a negative impact on your self-confidence. The key to a true grin is feeling comfortable and happy enough to let loose and laugh. If you experience discomfort because your teeth have decayed over time, you don’t have to just sit there and be unhappy. In Wimbledon, white fillings are here to restore your comfort and let you smile without a worry in the world.

At Wimbledon Dental Care, we provide white fillings to patients who both need their tooth restored and to those who need their old silver fillings replaced. White fillings are entirely invisible, so you don’t have to worry about them being seen when you laugh or smile. As tooth-coloured replacements, they appear natural like your other teeth. White fillings are also hard-wearing, so you can bite and chew food without a single concern.

Treatments available to you

If you experience a larger cavities, inlays and onlays are the preferred type of solution. As a smaller type of crown, these tooth-coloured replacements are made out of porcelain material. As custom-made tooth-replacements, they are individual to your teeth so they will fit snugly.

If you wanted to replace the silver amalgam filling that you might have had in the past that is entirely up to you. Although some fear that it contains contents of mercury, you can be rest assured that it is still a safe treatment for cavities. White fillings are appealing to those seeking an aesthetic smile, without having to worry about their treatment being visible.  They can also be moulded more effectively to the surface of the tooth.

Although amalgam fillings have previously been effective treatment in dental care, white fillings are preferred because they don’t affect the remaining part of the tooth. In the techniques of amalgam fillings, they tend to remove the healthy teeth tissue alongside the decay. At Wimbledon Dental Care, we prefer to do what we can to maintain your healthy tissues. It means not having to be concerned about future complications, and living with a long-lasting, confident smile.

Generally speaking, us Brits are pretty private people. We don’t want other people knowing all about our woes, or our health problems. We’d rather keep that kind of thing to ourselves.

But, if you have amalgam fillings, there is no hiding how many cavities you have had treated by your dentist. The evidence is there in black and white for all to see every time you throw back your head for a hearty laugh. Rows of glistening black metal blobs denounce you as being a sugar fiend in your youth, or just very bad at brushing your teeth. It’s not a good look.

The downside of amalgam

Amalgam, although deemed safe by the General Dental Council, isn’t actually all that great as a filling material. It lies flat within the tooth, which means you lose some of your chewing ability created by the valleys and bumps that molars have. Also, amalgam cannot bond with your teeth, so there is a micro-gap all around the edge of the filling, into which bacteria can sneak and cause more decay. Finally, in order to make a decent amalgam filling work, the dentist has to remove healthy tooth material. This weakens the structure of your teeth and can cause it to crumble away over the years, especially if it’s one of those back molars that take all that chewing pressure day in, day out.

Beauty aside, these are three very good reasons, why at Wimbledon Dental Care, we offer white fillings to our patients.

The difference with white fillings

White fillings are made from a porcelain composite material, which has been improved over the years and is now very durable. It is best suited for small and medium-sized fillings. Larger fillings are better treated with inlays and onlays.

When we use white fillings, we only remove the decayed material, and we fill the cavity with layers of porcelain composite, each of which is bonded to the tooth and cured with a UV lamp before the next layer is added. Once done, we can then shape the filling to recreate the mounds and valleys of your original tooth and give you back full chewing power.

For many years, the only option available if you needed fillings to repair your teeth was amalgam. While this is effective, the material is grey and very visible in your mouth. This can make you feel self-conscious when laughing or speaking as amalgam fillings can be very obvious. Modern materials mean that we can now offer a great alternative in the form of white fillings, which are durable and extremely discreet. Unless your mouth is examined closely, it is very hard to see them at all. At Wimbledon Dental Care in Wimbledon, we have found that they are a popular choice with children and adults who prefer a more natural look.

What are white fillings?

Most people need fillings because their enamel and the underlying tooth has been decayed by plaque acid, creating a cavity. Fillings are used to plug the gap after the weakened areas have been removed from a tooth. This stops infection getting in, strengthens the tooth and prevents further damage. The material used in white fillings is a composite resin. This is slightly more expensive than silver amalgam, but has the obvious benefit of being almost invisible. We use tried and trusted composites such as Heraeus Venus and TPD Spectra which are well known for their very high performance qualities. They last well and enable us to repair your teeth reliably to keep them healthy in the long-term.

Why choose white fillings?

In addition to the obvious benefit of matching the tone of your original teeth, white fillings are also less damaging because of the way in which they are fitted. With amalgam, healthy tissue has to be removed along with the decayed area. The technique for white fillings is different so only the damaged tissue is removed. This means that you can retain as much of the original tooth as possible which keeps it strong. Some people who already have them choose to have their metal fillings replaced with white ones due to aesthetic reasons or because they are worried about mercury in amalgam. Whatever your reasons, we are happy to discuss your concerns, outline treatment options with you and create a plan which will give you the results you want.

Do you have metal fillings? You may want to consider changing them for white fillings. If so, we can help you. At Wimbledon Dental Care we offer a range of treatments including swapping metal to white fillings. Wimbledon Dental Care is conveniently situated on The Broadway- perfect for anyone wanting to pop by for an appointment on their lunch break.

What are the disadvantages of silver metal fillings?

• Risk of damage to your teeth

Metal expands and contracts depending on the temperature. By exposing your mouth to range of temperatures, for example while eating hot food or enjoying frozen ice-cream, your metal filling with also expand and contract. Over time there is a risk that the tooth will crack as a result.

• Discolouration

As the years pass, there is a chance that the metal from your silver filling will turn the tooth slightly grey in colour.

• Unattractive appearance

Due to silver fillings being so noticeable, it can lead to feelings of insecurity.

What are the benefits of white fillings?

Wimbledon is a bustling place for business and socialising; a smile can be everything. There are good reasons why you may want to consider white fillings.

• Durability

White fillings are known for their strength and long-lasting wear. They should last for decades if looked after properly!

• Good appearance

White fillings mould perfectly into the cavity of your tooth. The appearance of your smile will be brighter with white fillings.

• Increased confidence

With fillings that blend in perfectly with your own teeth, you’ll feel happier to flash you smile, giving a boost to your self-esteem.

With so many reasons why, swapping out metal to white fillings in Wimbledon makes sense! If you have further enquiries, or you would like to book a consultation, then drop by and see us at Wimbledon Dental Care.

If you have been dreaming of an all-white smile, then you are in luck! This treatment is growing in popularity in Wimbledon. Metal to White fillings is a possibility that we provide, and our dentist is more than happy to explain more details of how this procedure works.

Fillings. They are one of the most common dental procedures around, and most patients will find themselves in need of a filling at some point in their life.

In the past there were few choices for patients who needed a filling. Fillings were made from metal amalgam and were grey in colour, making them very noticeable, particularly if they were located near the front of your mouth.

While white fillings have been around for many years, they were traditionally considered less strong and durable than their metal amalgam counterparts, and were not considered suitable for the back teeth where the majority of chewing forces are exerted.

Over recent years, materials and technology around white fillings have advanced greatly and they are now considered practically as strong as metal amalgam fillings. They are made of composite resin material that is durable as well as natural-looking. At Wimbledon Dental Care we use the highest quality composites, including Heraues Venus and TPH Spectra, which are well-known for their strength, excellent performance and natural appearance. We have hundreds of happy patients who will testify to their quality.

It is perhaps more accurate to describe “white” fillings as “tooth-coloured” fillings, because your dentist is able to select a colour of composite that closely matches your natural teeth. That means they blend in perfectly, and nobody will notice they are there.

Often with metal amalgam fillings it is necessary to remove healthy tooth tissue as well as areas of decay to place the fillings. As dentists we don’t like to remove any more tissue than is absolutely necessary, which is why we are delighted that with our white filling technique only decayed areas are removed, making it a minimally-invasive procedure that is better for your dental health.

While we don’t believe in carrying out procedures for the sake of it, we know that many patients would like to replace their old, amalgam fillings with modern white ones. If your metal fillings are worn, discoloured or old, or if you want a more natural-looking smile, we’ll be happy to discuss replacing metal fillings with white composite fillings.

No matter how well they look after their teeth, most patients will find they need a filling at some point in their life. In the past, fillings were only made of metal amalgam, which while being very strong and durable to withstand the forces inside the mouth when you bite and chew were also very noticeable because of their dark colour. This was especially a problem if you needed a filling in one of your front teeth.

White fillings have been around for many years, and huge advances have been made so that they are now considered as strong as metal fillings. At Wimbledon Dental Care we use the highest-quality white composite resin material to create fillings that closely match the natural colour of your teeth, meaning they blend in seamlessly.

With amalgam fillings, the techniques used to place them often meant that as well as decayed tissue, healthy parts of your tooth had to be removed too, weakening it. The advanced techniques with white composite resin fillings means that only decayed areas need to be removed, making the procedure minimally invasive and leaving you with more of your natural tooth.

An increasing number of patients are also coming to us with a view to having their old metal amalgam fillings replaced by tooth-coloured white ones. We always advise caution with this procedure, but if your amalgam fillings are near the front of your mouth, are very obvious or are worn or damaged, we can replace them with natural-looking white composite fillings that will blend in seamlessly with your teeth. We’re always happy to discuss this treatment with you at a consultation.

For larger cavities, inlays or onlays may be a better option than white fillings. These are also tooth-coloured and are made of porcelain. They are similar to crowns in concept, but are smaller. Onlays are used for extensive restorations while inlays are used for smaller restorations.

With Christmas party season underway, replacing your old metal amalgam fillings could be the perfect present to yourself to boost your smile and your confidence.