Dental negligence claims for fillings

What Is a Filling?

Dental fillings are used as a restorative dental approach when your teeth are damaged or affected by tooth decay. It’s a common procedure and most fillings are carried out without any issues, but sometimes dentists may perform the treatment poorly, which can lead to a number of problems.

Generally, fillings are either made of a silver amalgam (a combination of metals) or white composite fillings. Usually, white fillings are unavailable on the NHS for adults, so if you want a white filling, particularly in a back tooth you will have to pay for this by having private dental treatment.

The process for placing a silver amalgam filling usually involves a local anaesthetic to ensure the patient doesn’t feel any pain during the procedure. The affected tooth is then cleaned of decay and bacteria using a high-speed drill, before the filling material is placed into the cavity.

The white filling process differs from this approach, and can potentially have more associated risks if your dental work is not carried out to a good standard by your dentist. If this happens, you may be able to open a dental negligence claim against your dentist.

How Long Does a Filling Take in the UK?

Typically fillings provided by dentists in the UK will take between 20 minutes and one hour to carry out.

However, depending on the complexity of your dental work, a tooth filling could sometimes take longer to do. If you have more than one filling required (on the same side of your mouth), then your dentist will often try to carry them out at the same time, which can mean your appointment lasts longer than one for a standard single filling. 

If you need fillings on different sides of your mouth, it will generally require at least two individual appointments for them to be treated separately, as standard practice is to only numb one side of the mouth with local anaesthetic at a time.

If you experience severe toothache after a filling or other complications have arisen, you may be a victim of negligence. To open your dental claim, please complete our callback form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

How Do White Fillings Differ from Amalgam Fillings?

If you’d like to have a white composite filling provided in a back tooth by your dentist, you’ll usually need to tell your NHS dentist or go to a private practice. If the white filling is in a front tooth then you may find that you can have your filling fitted under the NHS under a Band 2 charge. 

Your dentist will start the appointment by numbing the area using a local anaesthetic just as she would for a silver amalgam metal filling. Once the area is completely numb, the next step is to isolate the tooth from the rest of the mouth. This isolation is essential, as it ensures the tooth is kept dry so that the white filling will bond to your tooth properly.

Your dentist will then remove the decay from the tooth cavity using a high-speed rotating dental drill, before treating the cavity base and walls chemically to ensure the white filling bonds to the tooth. They will need to choose the right shade of filling to match your teeth, before carefully placing it in layers to fill the cavity. Each layer must be hardened using a special light which cures the white filling material. This light-curing process will take up to 30 seconds for each layer.

It is essential that your dentist protects your eyes during the light-curing process, and you should be provided with protective glasses with special filters in the lens. Your dentist will also protect their eyes and those of their assistants by covering your mouth with a translucent, handheld screen.

Once the filling has set hard, your dentist will check that you can bite comfortably before polishing the surface. It’s normal to feel some discomfort after a filling, and you may find that your teeth feel sensitive to cold drinks after your filling too. However, if the pain gets worse or your tooth becomes extremely sensitive after your filling (to the point you can’t eat), this is an indicator that something may be wrong. 

The Benefits of White Fillings Over Amalgam Fillings

Both types of filling can be beneficial to your health, reducing the risk of tooth decay. However, white fillings can also be beneficial from a cosmetic dentistry perspective.

Your suitability for white fillings can only be decided once your dentist has completed a thorough assessment of your general oral health and the teeth in question. However, you are probably not suitable for white fillings if the tooth which needs a filling has a very deep cavity in it. Otherwise, they can be a good choice for most people.

White fillings are used to seal tooth cavities and prevent tooth decay (as long as you exercise good dental hygiene and have regular dental check-ups). They should ultimately reduce any sensitivity associated with the cavity as well.

However, the appearance of white fillings is clearly a major plus when compared to silver-coloured or metal amalgam fillings, since white fillings are mercury-free and almost undetectable in your mouth.  Additionally, because white fillings are glued to your teeth, when used correctly they can result in fewer teeth having to be drilled away than when silver amalgam fillings are placed. 

Common Risks of White Fillings

On the other hand, white fillings can pose several additional risks when compared to silver fillings. 

The chemical treatment of the cavity walls required for white fillings involves the controlled use of acid gel. Also, white fillings contract slightly when they are cured with light by your dentist. The combination of these two features can result in short-term sensitivity to hot and cold food after your white filling is placed. Normally, this sensitivity only lasts for 48 hours, although if it persists you should seek advice from your dentist.

Occasionally, teeth will die after a filling has been placed, but this is a general risk of all kinds of filling – there is no evidence to suggest that it happens more frequently after white fillings than any other kind. However, it is accepted that white fillings are not ideal for very large or deep cavities because of the difficulty in keeping the tooth dry during the filling process, and the difficulty of curing deep fillings.

If you’re unhappy with your dental treatment and you believe your filling dentist performed the procedure negligently, you may want to consider opening a dental negligence claim. 

Please enquire with our expert team here to find out more.

What Causes a Failed Filling?

There can be several different reasons why a filling can fail. A failed filling could happen because the treatment wasn’t carried out well in the first place. Or, perhaps the filling was used when another form of treatment (such as a root canal) would have been a better option. 

Another reason for a failed filling could be due if the original decay was not treated properly by your dentist, before they placed the filling. Your dentist should remove any decay and clean the area prior to placing a filling, otherwise you may face further complications. 

Modern fillings are designed to last as long as possible, but some might need replacing every seven to 10 years. In most cases, fillings (both white and silver) go as planned, but in some situations negligence can occur, leading to further tooth pain.  (for example, if the dentist left decay under your filling or damaged the nerve during the treatment by drilling too deeply into your tooth)

Find out more by calling us on 0800 152 2044.

What Is the Likelihood of Complications Occurring During a Filling?

Whilst most dental fillings are carried out with no issues, there are sometimes complications associated with this type of treatment, which can be exacerbated by dental mistakes.

The potential risks and complications associated with dental fillings include:

• An injury to the mouth caused by careless use of the high-speed drill during the treatment

• Tooth decay spreading around or under the filling 

• The nerve of the tooth dying 

• An abscess develops after a filling

• The tooth fractured after the filling

If you’ve experienced complications after having a tooth filling, and you think that your dentist was to blame for it, you may be able to make a claim for dental negligence compensation, depending on the circumstances. 

Complete our online claim form to find out more.

Protect Your Dental Rights with the Dental Law Partnership

If you’re suffering from prolonged toothache after a filling and you’ve found yourself wondering, “Can a dentist mess up a filling?”, the answer is yes. If your dentist has made a mistake and it leads to complications, you may have grounds to sue your dentist.

Your dentist has a duty of care to provide dental treatment to a reasonable standard for every patient under their care. All our cases are carried out on a no-win, no-fee basis, meaning you’ll only pay a small fee towards our costs if your case is successful.

To start your dental claim, please request a callback from our team here.