Can Filled Teeth Be Whitened?

You can whiten your teeth that have the yellowish fillings and the teeth will lighten in color.  The composite fillings will not whiten and you would probably need to have them replaced after your whitening procedure.  Don't look for any improvement in color on brushing alone as these whitening toothpastes typically do not work very well.  Good luck.  

One of the reasons why teeth whitening should be done by a dentist rather than at the mall is to solve issues like these. If you have had the front fillings for a while, then the yellow color is not likely to improve a lot.

If these are fairly new fillings (for example, a few months old), then you may want to make an appointment with your dentist and discuss the final color match with him. 

Here's how I would proceed:


Visit a cosmetic dentist, not just a general dentist. You have a much higher likelihood of getting your front teeth just the way you want them.

Start Professional teeth whitening. You may see some improvement (or at least a little). The goal at this point is to get your teeth as light as you want.

Have the fillings removed and replaced with the new lighter color.


You'll be surprised how much lighter your smile looks!

Like other treatments in cosmetic dentistry, when you feel really confident about your smile, it shows.

Yes, the actual teeth (enamel) will whiten, however, the fillings in those teeth that already appear yellow, will appear even more yellow after the whitening, due to the contrast. That is not a problem, however, because those fillings can then be changed to match the new lighter shade of your enamel.