NHS Services & Rules
Are white fillings available on the NHS?
By The Local Dentist Editorial · Updated 15 July 2026
The clinical-necessity rule
NHS dentistry funds the treatment needed to keep your mouth healthy — including the filling material that is clinically appropriate for the tooth. On front teeth, where appearance is part of function, that means white composite as standard. On back molars, which take heavy chewing loads, dentists have traditionally judged amalgam more durable for large cavities, and the NHS will not pay extra for white purely because you prefer the look. The decision is clinical, made tooth by tooth — so it is entirely normal to leave one appointment with a white filling and another with amalgam.
The amalgam picture is changing
Dental amalgam is being phased down worldwide under the Minamata Convention, and UK rules already ban its use for children under 15 and for pregnant or breastfeeding patients except where the dentist judges it strictly necessary. Many NHS practices now place composite in most back teeth as a matter of course, and modern materials have narrowed the durability gap considerably. If avoiding amalgam matters to you, say so — asked in advance, most dentists can plan around it, and where composite is clinically appropriate it remains within your Band 2 charge.
What it costs — NHS and private
Fillings are Band 2 treatment: one charge of £76.60 in England covers the whole course, whether you need one filling or five, and includes the examination and X-rays that led to it. In Wales, fillings fall under the simple restorative care package at a fixed £36.03 covering up to four teeth. Going private for white fillings typically costs £90–300 per tooth depending on size and position. Mixing is allowed and common: you can have NHS treatment for what is clinically necessary and pay privately to upgrade specific visible fillings — the practice must set both parts out on a written treatment plan first.
Replacing old amalgam fillings
The NHS replaces fillings when they fail — cracked, leaking, or decayed underneath — not because they are grey. Swapping sound amalgam for composite on cosmetic grounds is private work, and dentists are generally cautious about it anyway: removing a sound filling takes healthy tooth with it, and each replacement cycle makes the filling larger. If old metal fillings bother you, ask the dentist to assess them at your check-up; where one genuinely needs replacing, you can often have it done in white within the NHS course, and where it does not, you can weigh the private cost against leaving well alone.
People Also Ask
Can I insist on a white filling on the NHS?
You can ask, but the choice of material is clinical. Where composite is appropriate — front teeth, and increasingly back teeth — it is included in Band 2. Where the dentist judges amalgam necessary and you still want white, the upgrade is private.
How much does a private white filling cost?
Typically £90–300 per tooth, depending on the size of the cavity and the tooth's position. Compare practices' published prices before committing — our directory shows them where practices list them.
Are amalgam fillings safe?
UK and international regulators consider set amalgam fillings safe, and removal of sound fillings is not recommended on health grounds. The phase-down is driven mainly by environmental mercury rules, with restrictions already in place for children and pregnant or breastfeeding patients.
Do NHS white fillings use the same material as private ones?
Both are composite resin. Private treatment may buy more time per tooth, premium brands, and layered shade-matching — differences of finish rather than of what the filling fundamentally is.
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This article is general information for UK patients, not clinical advice, and NHS rules and charges change — confirm current rules on nhs.uk or speak to a dentist before acting. For severe facial swelling affecting breathing/swallowing, uncontrolled bleeding, or trauma call 999 / go to A&E; otherwise NHS 111 for urgent dental access. Price figures are indicative benchmarks from our methodology.