Diagnosis
Exploration and, if necessary, an X-ray: tooth decay between teeth is not always visible to the naked eye. Together with you, we decide what is done and how much it costs.
Conservative dentistry in the south of Tenerife
Dental fillings to stop tooth decay and preserve your tooth
A filling is dentistry's most common repair—and the one with the most myths circulating about it. Here is why Tooth decay gives no warning until it's late, what the European law changed regarding amalgams in 2025, and why sometimes the professional is repair your old filling instead of replacing it.
- Tooth shade composite
- We repair before replacing
- We serve in Spanish and English
Quick summary
The most important thing before deciding
2025Since January 1st, amalgam ("grey filling") has been banned throughout the EU for new fillings
0pain in the early stages of tooth decay: when it hurts, it is usually late and expensive
6–10+indicative lifespan of a well-done and well-maintained composite
1 to 3damaged surfaces: the territory of the filling. With more destruction, there are better options
- What it is: remove the decayed tissue and rebuild the tooth with composite of the exact colour of your enamel.
- The golden rule: The sooner the cavity is detected, the smaller the filling and the cheaper everything is.
- Your old amalgam fillings: If they are healthy, the official recommendation is not to touch them. We explain why.
- Old fillings with defects: Many times they are repaired, not replaced. Less drill, more tooth.
Why you can have cavities even if you don't feel pain
Tooth decay begins in the enamel, which has no nerves. It can advance for months—sometimes years—in absolute silence as it drills inward. The pain arrives when it reaches the deep dentin or the nerve... and at that point we are no longer talking about a simple filling, but rather a root canal or a crown.
That is why the economic order of dentistry is so clear: A cavity detected during a check-up costs a small filling; a cavity detected by pain costs a major treatment. It is by far the best investment — and the reason why we insist so much on the check-ups and the periodic cleaning, where these things are seen in time.
Signs that should definitely bring you in before your check-up: new sensitivity to cold or sweets, a dark spot that won't go away, food that always gets stuck in the same place, or an edge you notice is rough with your tongue.
What the law changed and nobody told you
Goodbye to amalgam: what the 2025 European regulation says—and what it doesn't say
From January 1, 2025, Regulation (EU) 2024/1849 prohibits the use of dental amalgam—the classic metallic grey filling—in new treatments throughout the European Union, except for very specific medical exceptions. All new fillings are now made of composite or other mercury-free materials.
Now, the two nuances that most websites omit and that interest you if you have had amalgam fillings for years:
- The reason for the ban is environmental — mercury as a contaminant — not a new hazard discovered in your mouth. Health authorities explicitly state this.
- There is no obligation to remove amalgam fillings that are working. What is more: the official recommendation (FDA included) is to not remove them preventatively, because drilling them out releases more mercury vapour than leaving them alone — and sacrifices healthy tooth tissue.
When is an amalgam actually replaced? When it failsit fractures, leaks, or cavities appear underneath. Then it is removed using the proper technique and reconstructed in composite. If someone suggests to you "replacing all amalgam fillings for aesthetic reasons" as a health emergency, now you know what they are selling.
How we work
What a dental filling is like, step by step
Anaesthesia and cleaning
With local anaesthesia, only the decayed tissue is removed, preserving as much healthy tooth as possible. It is the part you feared most and the one you feel the least.
Reconstruction
The composite is bonded in layers, sculpting the anatomy of the tooth—including grooves—in the shade that matches your enamel.
Adjustment and polishing
The bite is checked with articulating paper, adjusted until you bite down without noticing anything unusual, and polished. You can eat normally as soon as the anaesthesia wears off.
Sensitivity to cold a few days later? It can happen, especially with deep fillings, and it goes away on its own. If you notice a high spot when biting or the pain persists, come back: a one-minute adjustment almost always resolves it.
Where tooth decay hides: the three territories
Not all cavities are the classic visible hole. Knowing where they appear explains why X-rays are part of the diagnosis.
In the chewing grooves
The classic territory: the molar valleys where the toothbrush barely reaches and sugar gets stuck. These are the easiest to see with the naked eye — and even so, by the time they are visible, they have already been at work beneath the enamel for a while.
Between teeth
Interproximal tooth decay grows where only dental floss can reach, remaining invisible to the naked eye until it is large. Only the X-ray detects it in time. If you never use floss or interdental brushes, this is the territory waiting for you.
At the neck of the tooth
When the gum recedes —due to age, aggressive brushing, periodontal disease— the root is exposed, which lacks enamel and decays faster. It is the typical cavity after age 60, and another reason for the check-up + cleaning in that stage.
Against the current, with evidence
When can an old filling be repaired
When an old filling has a small defect—a worn edge, a fractured peak, marginal staining—the routine in many practices is to drill it all out and make a new one. Evidence says there is usually a better option: fix it, removing only the defective part.
Long-term studies show that repairs achieve a survival comparable to complete replacement —and with follow-ups of up to 12 years, the repaired teeth accumulated fewer root canals and fewer extractions that they be refilled over and over again. The logic is simple: every complete replacement enlarges the cavity and brings the drill closer to the nerve. Repairing breaks that cycle.
For you, it means: less drilling, less anaesthesia, lower cost, and more years of life for your tooth. For the clinic, it means billing less per visit. That is why almost no one offers it—and why here it is the first option we consider when the filling allows for it.
When a filling is no longer enough: the honest ladder
Direct composite shines in cavities of one to three surfaces with the tooth walls reasonably preserved. From then on, insisting on "a larger filling" is building on weak foundations: the tooth fractures, the filling fractures, and each cycle loses more tissue.
The correct ladder goes up like this: filling → inlay (a custom-made composite or ceramic piece that rebuilds the missing part, requiring less preparation than a crown; and to repair edges and shapes without decay, there is bonding) → crown, when the destruction is great or the tooth has had a root canal and needs full protection. Every step exists for a reason, and skipping them —in either direction— comes at a high price.
We explain it in detail, with its survival numbers, on the page of dental crowns. And the rule of this house: we will tell you which step your tooth is on and why, with the X-ray in front of me.
What lengthens (and what shortens) the life of your filling
Composite survival studies always tell the same story: the material matters less than the conditions in which he lives. In favor, they play a well-isolated field during placement —that's why we don't run—, small cavities (we return to check-ups: the sooner, the smaller), and the interdental hygiene, because the decay that destroys fillings usually starts at the margin, right where a toothbrush alone cannot reach.
Against: the bruxism — clenching at night fatigues any material, and if you clench, the night guard also protects your fillings —, biting ice and olive pits (composites don't handle that well and your teeth don't appreciate it either), and constant sweet snacking, which keeps the pH low all day long. A sugary coffee is not the same as twelve sips spread out all morning: for tooth decay, the latter is a party.
And the silent factor: coming for a check-up. A stained margin detected in time is a polishing or a small repair; the same margin three years later is decay under the filling and starting over—with a larger cavity.
Transparency
Price of a filling: what it depends on
Dental filling
From €70
The final amount depends on the size, depth, and number of surfaces that need to be reconstructed.
Indicative price. The final quotation depends on the clinical evaluation and is provided in writing before starting treatment.
The price varies according to the number of surfaces to rebuild (a single crack is not the same as half a molar), the depth And if wall reconstruction is needed. That is why a serious price is given after seeing you, not over the phone.
What does a filling always include here
- The diagnosis with X-ray if applicable
- Local anaesthesia and tooth isolation
- The composite in the shade of your enamel, layer by layer
- The bite adjustment and polishing final
- Quotation agreed before we begin — and if the decay turns out to be deeper than it looks and the plan changes, we stop and explain it to you, we don't improvise
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about fillings
Does getting a filling hurt?
With local anaesthesia, the procedure itself is not felt. The most annoying part is usually the initial prick and the time spent with the mouth open. Afterwards, there may be mild sensitivity for a few days, which subsides on its own.
How long does a filling last?
A well-made and well-maintained composite usually lasts from 6 to 10 years or more; oral hygiene, cavity size, and bruxism make all the difference. And when it ages, it can often be repaired instead of replaced.
Do I have to remove my old grey fillings?
If they are healthy and sealed, no — the official recommendation is not to remove them preventatively. The 2025 European ban affects new fillings and its reason is environmental. They are replaced when they fail: fracture, leakage, or decay underneath.
I lost a filling, is it urgent?
It is not a middle-of-the-night emergency, but don't leave it for weeks: the exposed cavity accumulates plaque and the decay advances quickly there. Make an appointment soon and, in the meantime, avoid chewing on that side and be extra careful with your hygiene in the area.
Will the filling be noticeable?
The composite is layered in the shade of your enamel and polished to match its anatomy: under normal conditions, not even you will be able to distinguish it with the naked eye. Over the years it may lose some of its shine; it is easily re-polished or touched up.
Why are you suggesting I repair my filling instead of replacing it?
Because when the defect is partial, the evidence shows comparable survival rates with repair — with less drilling, lower cost, and, in the long term, fewer root canals and extractions. Replacing the entire restoration unnecessarily enlarges the cavity.
I've been told I need a crown and not a filling, am I being cheated?
Not necessarily: with a lot of destruction or after a root canal, a large filling is bad engineering and full coverage is better indicated. It is only fair that they show you the reason on your x-ray — we always do that here, and the full ladder is explained on the crowns page.
Can I eat after the filling?
The composite hardens instantly with the curing light, so you can eat as soon as the anaesthesia wears off — wait until you regain sensation so you don't bite yourself without realizing it.
Book your appointment
Book your check-up in Los Cristianos
A cavity caught early is a small filling; one found by pain, a major treatment. Write to us and we'll call you to schedule an appointment.
- AddressCalle Barranquillo, 2
38650 Los Cristianos, Arona (Santa Cruz de Tenerife) - Phone and WhatsApp+34 654 58 55 53
- Emailinfo@smiletenerife.com
- Opening hoursMonday and Wednesday: 10:00 – 19:00
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 10:00 – 17:00
Saturdays and Sundays: closed