Dental fillings

Quite simply: when you have a cavity! Sometimes you can spot it with the naked eye in the mirror. In other cases, it manifests itself through pain and sensitivity to cold, heat or sweet foods. Also, if a piece of tooth breaks off or has been damaged by friction and acids, a dental filling can be useful. The filling closes holes and gaps and protects the tooth from further damage such as the spread of caries.

We distinguish between direct and indirect fillings. For direct fillings we use either composite or glass ionomer cement. Composite fillings are particularly aesthetic, colour-stable and long-lasting. We attach them adhesively to the tooth and cure them with light. We usually use cement fillings more as temporary fillings because they wear out quickly and break off more easily.

For indirect fillings, we use gold or ceramic. To do this, we take an impression of your tooth and fabricate the filling to fit exactly. This type of filling is also called an inlay. While cement lasts about two years and plastic between five and ten years, the durability of inlays is usually over ten years.

That depends entirely on which material you choose. Cement fillings are generally paid for by the statutory health insurance. If the filling is in the visible area – i.e. between the canine and the cuspid – many health insurers also reimburse the cost of plastic fillings. You usually have to pay for fillings made of plastic, ceramic and gold yourself – unless you have appropriate supplementary dental insurance.

In most cases, the mouth area feels uncomfortable immediately after the treatment – but this passes quickly. If the pain persists for a few days after the treatment, this can have various causes. Perhaps the filling is too high, the tooth nerve is irritated or the gums are inflamed. In this case, we recommend that you visit us again so that we can get to the bottom of the matter.