Tooth Fillings in Edinburgh, NHS and Private
A filling repairs a tooth where decay has made a hole (a cavity). City Dental Care is a mixed NHS and private practice on Earl Grey Street: we provide NHS fillings for patients registered with us, and private white fillings from £99. We're accepting new NHS patients, and there's no waiting list.
Transparent pricing
White (composite) fillings from £99New patient exam (incl. X-rays) £85 · Crowns and onlays from £550 per tooth
Our private fee: the price depends on the size of the filling and is confirmed after the examination. NHS fillings for registered patients are at NHS Scotland charges, from £14.00 for a filling on one surface (fee scale from 1 November 2025): 80% of the cost, capped at £384 a course, and free for under-26s, pregnant women and new mothers, and people on certain benefits. NHS examinations are free for everyone in Scotland.
Do You Need a Filling?
Tooth decay can show up as:
- toothache, either constant or a sharp pain with no obvious cause
- a sharp pain when you have something hot, cold or sweet
- grey, brown, black or white spots on a tooth
- bad breath or an unpleasant taste in your mouth
Once decay has made a hole, the tooth will probably need a filling. Early decay can sometimes be managed with diet advice and fluoride instead, and we don't fill what doesn't need it. Decay is usually found at a check-up, with X-rays to see between the teeth.
White (Composite) Fillings
White (composite) fillings in Edinburgh from £99. A white filling, sometimes called a tooth-coloured or “invisible” filling, is made of composite matched to the shade of your tooth. In evidence to the Scottish Parliament in 2024, Scotland's Chief Dental Officer described composite as the material of choice for front teeth.
The honest trade-off: in trials on back teeth, white fillings needed replacing more often than silver (amalgam) ones. That evidence is low-certainty and comes from older materials, and the Oral Health Foundation says modern white fillings often last as well, depending on the size and position of the filling, your bite and how well the tooth is looked after.
On the NHS we place silver (amalgam) fillings and, where the NHS rules allow, white fillings, and we also offer private white (composite) fillings. The next section explains which teeth and which patients the NHS covers in white.
Using composite to change the shape or colour of healthy teeth, rather than to repair decay, is a separate, private cosmetic treatment: composite bonding.
Can I Have a White Filling on the NHS?
Often, yes. In Scotland the NHS funds tooth-coloured fillings:
- on any surface of a front tooth
- on the surfaces of back teeth that aren't the biting surface
- on the biting surface of a back tooth, for children under 15, anyone pregnant or breastfeeding, patients with a hospital or other secondary-care letter advising against silver fillings, and any patient where a tooth-coloured material is needed for a clinical rather than a cosmetic reason, such as tooth wear
A white filling on the biting surface of a back tooth, chosen for its appearance alone, is private. If none of those applies, the NHS filling for the biting surface of a back tooth is usually silver (amalgam), which we place on the NHS. Being exempt from NHS charges, for example because you're under 26, means you don't pay the charge; it doesn't change which materials the NHS funds.
Fillings are among the NHS treatments we provide for patients registered with us. NHS Scotland sets the charges: you pay 80% of the cost, capped at £384 for a single course of treatment, and under-26s, pregnant women and new mothers, and people on certain benefits pay nothing. We're accepting new NHS patients, and there's no waiting list: here's how to register as an NHS patient.
Treatment that is mainly cosmetic is usually private. We'll always tell you before any treatment whether it's NHS or private, and what it costs. In Scotland you can mix NHS and private care, even on the same tooth. But if a tooth with an NHS filling has private treatment within 12 months, the NHS rule on free repair or replacement no longer covers it.
How Much Does a Filling Cost in Edinburgh?
Private white fillings are from £99.00, depending on the size of the filling. The price is confirmed after your examination, and you'll get an upfront estimate before any treatment starts. Our private fees are all on our price list.
The examination comes first. Privately it's £85.00 for new patients and £55.00 for existing patients, both including X-rays. NHS examinations are free for everyone in Scotland. A refundable £10 holding fee is taken if you book an NHS examination online; phone bookings carry none.
NHS Scotland patient charges, fee scale from 1 November 2025
| Filling | You pay |
|---|---|
| Filling on one surface of a tooth | £14.00 |
| Filling on two surfaces | £19.64 |
| Filling on three or more surfaces | £29.92 |
| Tooth-coloured, on a front tooth or a back-tooth surface that isn't the biting surface | add £9.36 |
| Tooth-coloured, on the biting surface of a back tooth, where the NHS funds it | add £29.92 |
For example, NHS inform gives a small white filling on a front tooth as £23.36 (£14.00 plus £9.36). These are the charges for patients who pay for NHS treatment, 80% of the fee. X-rays and other treatment have their own NHS charges, you never pay more than £384 for one course of treatment, and exempt patients pay nothing. The charges change when NHS Scotland updates its fee scale, and we'll tell you yours before treatment starts.
On our private fees, Practice Plan members get a 15% discount on core dental treatment (exclusions apply).
What Happens at a Filling Appointment
Examination and X-rays
Your dentist examines the tooth, takes any X-rays needed and explains whether it needs a filling or something stronger. You'll know whether it's NHS or private, and what it costs, before anything starts.
Numbing
Your dentist will offer a local anaesthetic to numb the tooth. If the injection is what you dread, you can ask for a numbing gel on the gum first.
Removing the decay
The decayed part of the tooth is removed, leaving the hole ready to fill.
Filling the tooth and checking your bite
The tooth is filled, then your bite is checked and the filling adjusted if it needs it.
We'll tell you how long to allow when you book.
Nervous? Tell us when you book. You're welcome to bring someone into the room with you, and you can call in to see the practice before booking. Our guide for nervous patients has more.
After Your Filling
- Take care until the numbness has worn off completely: you may not notice if you bite your lip, cheek or tongue, or if a drink is too hot.
- A filled tooth can be sensitive for a while. This usually settles within a few weeks; call us if it hasn't settled after four weeks.
- If your bite feels high or uneven, call us and we'll check and adjust it.
- Ibuprofen or paracetamol can help if the tooth aches (children under 16 shouldn't take aspirin), and a pharmacist can advise.
If a Filling Falls Out or Breaks
A lost filling that isn't painful isn't usually an emergency: call us on the next working day. Until then, keep the area clean and avoid chewing on that side. A temporary filling kit from a pharmacy can cover the hole for a short time, but only as a stop-gap.
If it's painful, call 0131 228 2442: we're open until 8pm Monday to Thursday, and until 5pm on Friday, and reception will do their best to see you the same day. A private emergency appointment is £85, including a prescription if needed, and is open to anyone. NHS emergency appointments are for patients registered with us and are booked by phone: NHS Scotland's charge on the fee scale from 1 November 2025 is £17.32 for the visit, plus any X-rays or treatment at NHS rates, and nothing for under-26s and exempt patients. Either way, the dentist explains what the tooth needs, and the fee, before any treatment starts. When we're closed, call NHS 24 on 111 for a dental emergency. More on emergency appointments and what to do in a dental emergency.
Replacing Silver (Amalgam) Fillings
A worn, cracked or failing silver filling is replaced like any failing filling, on the NHS or privately, and your dentist will explain the options for your tooth. If a silver filling is sound and you'd simply prefer a tooth-coloured one, that's a cosmetic choice and it's private, even if you don't pay NHS charges.
Sound silver fillings don't generally need removing for health reasons. The European Commission's scientific committee found no general reason to remove sound amalgam other than a diagnosed allergy, and the Oral Health Foundation says amalgam is safe for most people. We don't recommend replacing sound fillings for appearance alone without talking through the trade-offs first.
Silver fillings are still permitted in Scotland. Since July 2018 the law has said they must not be used for baby teeth, children under 15, or anyone pregnant or breastfeeding unless the dentist judges it strictly necessary because of the patient's specific medical needs, and the European Union's ban does not apply in Great Britain.
When a Filling Isn't Enough
A crown may be the better repair when a tooth is badly broken, weakened by a large filling, or has had root canal treatment. An inlay or onlay is like a filling, but made to measure. Your dentist will explain whether a filling, an inlay or onlay, or a crown suits your tooth.
Our page on crowns, inlays and onlays explains the options. Privately they're from £550 per tooth, and for patients registered with us, crowns and inlays are also available on the NHS.
Keeping Your Fillings and Teeth Healthy
Regular check-ups catch decay early, when diet advice and fluoride may be enough, and at each check-up your dentist also checks your existing fillings for wear. For cleaning between check-ups, see hygiene appointments; for younger patients, see children's dentistry.
Why Have Your Filling at City Dental Care?
NHS and private, explained first
We'll always tell you before any treatment whether it's NHS or private, and what it costs.
The price in writing
Private fees are published on our price list, and your price is confirmed after the examination, before treatment starts.
Repair, not replace
We don't replace sound fillings for the sake of it.
Evenings and parking
We're open until 8pm Monday to Thursday, and until 5pm on Friday, on Earl Grey Street in Tollcross. The Princes Exchange Car Park is in our own building, accessed from Riego Street at the rear (9/2 Riego Street, EH3 9BL). Parking is payable: £3 for 1 hour, or £5 for up to 3 hours.
Named clinicians
Every dentist is listed on our team page with their qualifications and GDC number.
