Dental fillings in Malta: white, tooth-coloured fillings that repair decay and blend in
When decay, a chip or a worn old filling leaves a gap in a tooth, a filling removes the damage and rebuilds it. We numb the tooth first, rebuild it in tooth-coloured composite matched to its shade, and tell you the price before we start — at both of our clinics in Birkirkara.
When does a tooth need a filling?
A filling repairs a tooth that has lost some of its structure, most often to decay, and sometimes to a chip, a crack or an old filling that has worn out. Decay starts when the bacteria in plaque feed on sugars and produce acid, which slowly softens the hard outer enamel. At first that is only a weakened patch on the surface, but once it breaks through into a cavity the tooth cannot repair the hole itself, and the decay tends to spread into the softer layer underneath. A filling removes the decayed part, seals the tooth and rebuilds its shape, so it can go on biting and chewing normally.
The signs worth having checked
A tooth that is sensitive to sweet things, or to hot or cold, a rough edge or a small hole you can feel with your tongue, food that keeps catching in the same place, a dark spot or line on a tooth, or an old filling that has chipped or come away are all worth having looked at. Pain when you bite, or an ache that lingers, can mean the decay has gone deeper. None of these is proof of a cavity on its own, which is why we examine the tooth, and take a small X-ray where it will help, before deciding anything.
Why many cavities are found at a check-up
Early decay is usually painless, and it often starts where you cannot see it: between the teeth, in the grooves of the back teeth, or under the edge of an old filling. That is why many fillings are found at a routine check-up rather than because something hurts. Small X-rays (€20 each) show decay between the teeth and under fillings that cannot be seen by eye, and we take them when they will tell us something, not by routine. Very early changes in the enamel, before a true cavity has formed, can sometimes be watched and helped with fluoride and better cleaning instead of being filled; we tell you honestly when a tooth needs a filling now and when it can be monitored.
White composite fillings that match your tooth
A white filling is made from composite, a tooth-coloured resin matched to the shade of your own tooth, so the repair blends in rather than showing as a dark patch when you smile or laugh. Composite bonds to the tooth, so the dentist can often remove less healthy tooth than an older-style metal filling would need. It is set hard with a curing light while you are in the chair, then shaped and polished to follow the natural contours of the tooth and the way your teeth meet. Composite is used for fillings in both front and back teeth, and for repairing small chips.
Matched to the shade of your tooth
Bonded to the tooth and set hard with a light
Shaped and polished to your bite
Used in front and back teeth
What to expect, step by step
Finding the problem
We examine the tooth and, where decay may be hiding between the teeth or under an old filling, take a small X-ray (€20 each) to see how far it goes. You hear what we found, and what the filling will cost, before anything is done.
Numbing the tooth
The tooth and the gum around it are numbed with a local anaesthetic, so you feel pressure and vibration rather than pain. We make sure it is properly numb before we start.
Removing the decay
The decay, or the old filling, is cleaned out and the tooth is prepared for the new filling, keeping as much healthy tooth as we can. The tooth is kept dry, and when an old amalgam filling is coming out, a rubber dam is fitted first.
Rebuilding and polishing
Tooth-coloured composite is placed, set hard with a curing light, shaped to the tooth and polished. We check how your teeth meet before you leave, so the filling does not feel high when you bite.
Replacing old amalgam (silver) fillings in Malta
Amalgam is the silver-coloured metal filling material that has been used for many years, mostly in back teeth, and many adults still have several. A sound amalgam filling that is not causing problems does not have to be replaced. People most often ask to replace one for one of two reasons: they would prefer a tooth-coloured filling to a dark one, especially in a tooth that shows when they smile, or the old filling is worn, cracked, chipped or broken, or there is decay starting around its edges. Either way, the dentist looks at the filling and the tooth, takes an X-ray where it will help, and advises whether replacing it is worthwhile, so the decision is yours, made with the facts in front of you.
What removal under rubber dam means
When we take an old amalgam filling out, we do it under a rubber dam: a thin, flexible sheet fitted around the tooth so that the tooth is isolated from the rest of your mouth. It keeps the old filling material out of your mouth while it is removed, and it keeps the tooth dry and clean while the new composite filling is bonded in. On our price list, removing an amalgam filling under rubber dam is €40, and the new composite filling is from €70, depending on its size. We look at your fillings first and confirm what replacing them will cost before anything is done.
Several old fillings? We plan the order with you
If you have several old fillings you would like replaced, we look at them all and put them in order of what matters most: any that are broken or leaking come first, and the ones you would simply like changed for appearance can follow, at a pace that suits you. Where an old filling is very large and little natural tooth is left around it, the dentist may advise that a crown would protect the tooth better than another filling, and will explain why before you decide.
When a filling is the right repair, and when a tooth needs more
How much of the tooth is damaged, and whether the damage has reached the nerve, decides what a tooth needs. The examination and X-ray tell us which applies, and you hear the options and their prices before anything is done.
A filling
For decay or damage that leaves enough healthy tooth around it to hold a filling firmly. Small and medium cavities are usually repaired this way. A composite filling is from €70, depending on its size.
A crown
When a large part of the tooth has broken away or is already filled, a filling may not be strong enough to hold the tooth together. A crown covers and protects the whole tooth and gives it back its shape.
Root canal treatment
When decay or a crack reaches the nerve, a root canal can often save the tooth instead of taking it out. It is €250 for a front tooth and €280 for a back tooth, including the filling.
A post and core
Where little natural tooth is left above the gum, a post set into a root-treated tooth gives the filling or crown something solid to hold onto. A post is not included in the filling price; a post and core build-up is €70.
A chipped front tooth
A small chip or an uneven edge on a front tooth can often be repaired with composite bonding, shaped to match the tooth, usually with little or no drilling.
When a tooth cannot be saved
Occasionally a tooth is too broken down to repair. We tell you honestly rather than fill a tooth that will not last, and talk you through the ways to replace it.
Does a filling hurt, and what happens afterwards?
Numbing, and staying comfortable
The tooth is numbed with a local anaesthetic before anything starts, so during the filling you feel pressure and vibration rather than pain. You stay awake throughout and can drive yourself home afterwards. If you are nervous, tell us when you book: we go at your pace, explain each step before we do it, and stop whenever you need us to.
Eating, and sensitivity in the first days
The numbness wears off within a few hours. Until then, take care not to bite your cheek, lip or tongue, and leave hot drinks until you can feel them properly. A composite filling is set hard before you leave, so once the numbness has gone you can eat normally. Some sensitivity to cold, or when biting, is common for a short time after a filling, particularly a deep one, and usually settles on its own. If the filling feels high when you bite, if the sensitivity gets worse instead of better, or if it turns into a throbbing ache, contact us: a high spot is a quick adjustment, and pain that lingers is something we want to check.
How long fillings last
There is no fixed lifespan for a filling. How long one lasts depends on its size and where it sits, how hard your teeth meet and whether you grind them, what you eat and drink, and how well the tooth is cleaned. A large filling in a back tooth, which takes the force of chewing, has a harder job than a small one. Over the years the edges of a filling can wear, chip or begin to leak, and decay can start again alongside it. None of that usually hurts at first, which is why regular check-ups matter: they let us spot a filling that needs attention while it is still a simple repair. If you grind your teeth, a night guard protects your teeth and fillings while you sleep.
Keeping your fillings, and the teeth around them, healthy
A filling repairs the damage, but it does not stop decay coming back. These everyday habits and routine visits are what keep new cavities away.
Brush twice a day
Two minutes, morning and night, with a fluoride toothpaste, angling the brush towards the gum line and the edges of fillings, where plaque gathers.
Clean between your teeth
A toothbrush misses the sides of the teeth, where decay between the teeth starts. Floss or small interdental brushes once a day reach them.
Watch how often you have sugar
It is how often, more than how much: sugary snacks and sipped drinks between meals keep the teeth under attack all day. Keep them to mealtimes where you can, with water in between.
Regular check-ups
A check-up (€30) finds new decay and worn fillings while they are small, and X-rays are taken only when they will show something we need to see.
Professional cleaning
A hygiene visit clears the hardened tartar that brushing leaves behind, so the gums stay healthy and the edges of your fillings stay clean.
Protection for children
Fissure sealing coats the deep grooves of the back teeth, where food and plaque collect, and a fluoride varnish strengthens the enamel while new teeth come through.
Filling cost Malta
What a filling costs in Malta, and what changes the price
A tooth-coloured composite filling at Apex Dental is from €70. The final price depends mainly on the size of the filling, that is, how much of the tooth it has to rebuild. Removing an old amalgam filling under rubber dam is a separate item on our price list (€40), a filling in a baby tooth is €40, and a post, if a heavily broken tooth needs one, is not included in the filling price (a post and core build-up is €70).
If a small X-ray is needed to see the decay, it is €20, and it is only taken when it will help. A €20 booking fee secures a first appointment and comes off your final bill. The fees are the same at both of our clinics, every one is on our price list, and you hear the cost for your own tooth before anything is done.
Two clinics in Birkirkara
Open six days a week, and Sunday mornings for emergencies
Fillings are done at both of our clinics, Trident Park in Mrieħel and St Anne's Clinic in Birkirkara, with the same published prices at both. If a tooth is painful or a filling has come out, tell us when you book: when there is a free appointment today, it is the one we offer you first.
Trident Park, Mrieħel: 9:00 to 19:00
St Anne’s Clinic, Birkirkara: 9:00 to 19:00
Trident Park, Mrieħel: 9:00 to 13:30
St Anne’s Clinic, Birkirkara: 9:00 to 13:00
Trident Park, Mrieħel: 9:00 to 12:30 (emergency only)
St Anne’s Clinic, Birkirkara: Closed
Transparent pricing — no surprises
A composite filling depends on its size, from the fee shown. Removing an old amalgam filling, an X-ray or a post is added only when your tooth needs it, and you hear the full cost before anything is done.
View full price listFrequently asked questions
A tooth that needs looking at?
Book a check-up at Apex Dental. We will find out what is going on, tell you plainly whether it needs a filling or something else, and give you the price before anything is done.