Private Dental Charges in the UK: Prices, Treatments and Affordability

Private dental charges in the UK are not only high, but vary from dentist to dentist and by location. This can make things a little complicated when looking for the best dental practice or price for your treatment.

Also, 75% of dental practices in the UK are mixed practices (offering both private and NHS dental services) making it quite confusing when comparing the two price ranges.

To make things slightly easier for you to understand private dental charges, we’re going to explain some of the most important factors to consider, including topics such as: 

• Private dentist vs NHS prices
• Private dental treatment UK price list: Fillings, root canals and crowns
• Emergency dental costs: Private and NHS

Private dental charges are higher than on the NHS, and unfortunately, not all treatments are offered by the NHS. We will discuss alternative help options for low-income patients, pensioners and students later on, as well as ways to save on dental costs.

Private dentist vs NHS prices

There is a simple difference between private dentists and NHS prices. On the NHS, you pay a set amount towards the treatment and not the full treatment cost. At a private dentist, the prices are usually significantly higher and you are required to pay the full treatment cost yourself. 

However, the private dental sector offers less waiting time and more treatment options than the NHS. There are also options to join a monthly membership payment plan with a private dentist, which is not an option with the NHS.

If you want to read more about NHS prices, check out our article that goes into detail about what to expect with NHS dental treatment costs.

Remember, if you choose to go private, you won’t lose your eligibility to go to an NHS dentist another time. 

Private dental treatment UK price list

Private dentists are your only alternative to using the NHS for your dental treatment in the UK. Private dentists require you to pay the full treatment price, with no help from the government towards that cost.

However, as previously mentioned, these prices can vary depending on the dentist, location, and of course by treatment. It’s worth enquiring around to find the best dental care that will suit your needs.

Let’s start by looking at some of the price ranges for different private dental treatments in the UK.

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Private dental charges for root canals

Root canal treatment is performed to protect a nerve-damaged tooth from decay or injury. It involves drilling the centre of the tooth to remove the damaged nerve, cleaning the resulting hole with chemicals, filing the inside and then placing a filling inside.

This treatment is available with the NHS and private care. If you have this treatment done privately, the treatment is charged either per appointment or per tooth. The cost will also vary between practices and locations in the UK.

The range of cost for private dental charges for root canals is between £95-£700, depending on the tooth and the complexity of the treatment needed. Some private dentists offer payment plans to cover the costs in monthly instalments.

Private dental charges for crowns

A crown is a tooth-shaped cap used to cover and protect a broken or weak tooth. Crowns can also be placed over a tooth after a root canal treatment, or used to improve a tooth’s cosmetic appearance. This treatment is available both with the NHS and privately, although you cannot get a crown purely for cosmetic reasons on the NHS. 

If you have this treatment with the NHS, there are fewer options in terms of the crown’s material makeup. Generally, the NHS provides metal crowns for the back teeth and porcelain bonded to metal crowns for the front teeth. If you want fully porcelain or ceramic crowns the only option is to go privately.

Private dental charges for crowns across the UK are between £300-£800 depending on the type of crown, and the material that it’s made from.

Dentist prices for fillings

A tooth filling is a way of restoring a tooth that has been damaged by decay. This is a very common treatment that helps stop tooth decay and prolong the tooth’s life.

It involves the dentist drilling out the decayed part of the tooth, and cleaning the cavity that remains. Once the cavity is ready, the dentist will fill the space with one of the different types of available filling material. 

Fillings are available both with the NHS and privately. The difference is that the NHS mainly uses amalgam or white fillings, while private dentists offer many more filling options that you can choose freely from, including:

• Gold
• Composites 
• Ceramic
• Amalgam
• Glass Ionomer 

The dentist prices for fillings in the UK are roughly £40-£250, depending on the choice of filling, which tooth needs filling, and the dental practice.

Emergency dental costs

A dental emergency can occur when you need to make an unplanned dental appointment for emergency medical reasons. Examples of why you might need an emergency dental appointment include: 

• If you are in severe pain that cannot be managed by pain relievers
• If you have had an accident that resulted in damage to your teeth
• Infection or inflammation that is affecting your eye, or ability to swallow or breathe
• If you have bleeding in the mouth that you cannot stop

Private emergency dentist prices are higher than a regular appointment, especially if you were not previously registered at the practice. A private dental emergency appointment can range from £80-£150+ in the UK.

If you have a payment plan or dental insurance, then this cost could be included in the monthly fee. But, if you need the emergency appointment during unsociable hours, you may have to pay an added out-of-hours fee.

NHS emergency dental costs

The NHS covers an emergency dental appointment in the UK with only a small charge of £23.80 for an urgent appointment. This price can vary from country to country within the UK. In Wales, an emergency dental appointment is £14.70, and in Scotland and Northern Ireland, it depends on the treatment needed.

To read more on what constitutes urgent dental care, emergency dentist costs with the NHS, and how to access an NHS dentist out-of-hours, read our guide to emergency dentistry.

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What are the average dental treatment costs across the UK?

Dental costs range vastly between different dentists, and between practices. You might be wondering if prices also differ between countries in the UK.

When it comes to bands and how treatments are charged, NHS dental costs differ between all four countries in the UK. When it comes to private dental charges, however, it seems there is no significant difference between countries. Prices are more likely to vary between smaller areas, such as cities and towns. 

Let’s take a look at the average UK dental prices in some of the major cities in each country. 

Private dental charges: England 

The affordability of dental treatment in England seems to vary from city to city, with some cities offering the cheapest treatments in the UK, and others offering the most expensive.

If we look at the cities with the lowest prices, Birmingham has the cheapest price for a checkup, Plymouth for teeth whitening, and Liverpool has the best prices for dental implants. 

On the other end of the scale, some cities in England have the highest dental costs in the UK. These include London with the highest prices for a checkup and veneers, Cheltenham the most expensive city for teeth whitening and York for root canal treatment.

Private dental charges: Wales

Private dental charges in Wales seem to be in the middle range of affordability, not the most expensive but equally not the cheapest. If we take Cardiff as an example, the average prices seem more towards the lower end of the spectrum than other cities in the UK. 

The average price of a checkup in Cardiff is roughly £45, and a root canal £235, which is much lower than in some cities. However, this is not true of all treatments. The average cost of dental implants in Cardiff is on the higher end of the spectrum at £2065.

It is therefore important to do proper research on treatment costs in different cities across Wales.

Private dental charges: Scotland

In Scotland, prices seem to be on average lower than in other UK cities. There is still a massive price variance between cities in Scotland and from practice to practice across the country, again highlighting the importance of adequate research.

If we take Glasgow and Edinburgh, the prices appear to be relatively cheaper in comparison to other cities in the UK, with Glasgow having the best prices on average for a root canal.

Private dental charges: Northern Ireland 

In the past, Northern Ireland was well known for affordable dentistry costs and it wasn’t uncommon for people to make the journey for cheaper prices. This changed more recently when the Irish Dental Council removed restrictions on dental advertising.

Prices are still relatively lower than those in much of the UK, however, if we compare dental prices in Belfast to those in cities across the rest of the UK, private dental costs are similar to those in other cities with lower prices.

It is important to consider the extra travel costs associated with dental treatments in Northern Ireland, and whether the trip will then still be worth the money.

How to save money with dental costs 

There are many ways to save money with dental treatment prices, without compromising quality of care. Some of the ways you can save money include:

• Shopping around – Dental prices differ from practice to practice, so it’s worth researching prices before deciding on a specific dentist
• Dental Insurance – Dental Insurance makes it possible for you to pay monthly or annual payments
• Dental Tourism – You may be able to lower dentist prices by travelling abroad for treatment
• Payment Plans – Many private dentists offer membership payment plans, letting you pay a monthly cost that includes certain benefits 

If you are looking to make private dental costs more affordable, and you don’t want to rely on the NHS, then it is possible by looking into some of these methods. You might even combine them, as you are not restricted to just one means of saving money in this respect.

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Is there any financial help available for low-income patients?

Aside from receiving dental treatment on the NHS or finding out if you qualify for free treatment, there are unfortunately no other financial assistance options available for low-income patients or families.

You may be eligible for free dental treatment with the NHS if certain criteria are met before the start of your treatment. Some criteria that entitle you to free dental treatment include: 

• Under 18 years of age
• 18 and in full-time education 
• Low-income benefits 
• Universal credit (in some circumstances) 
• Pregnant, or have been in the last 12 months including any miscarriages after 24 weeks or stillborn

Are you a pensioner or a student? Read further below in the article to find out if there are any benefits that you qualify for.

The following NHS video explains free dental treatment eligibility in detail.

Dentist charges for pensioners

Pensioners are entitled to free NHS dental treatments if they meet one or more of the low-income benefits criteria. Pension Credit Guarantee Credit is one of these criteria that would entitle a pensioner to receive free dental care with the NHS. When it comes to private dentist charges for pensioners, there don’t seem to be many benefits on offer. 

Dentist charges for students

There isn’t a lot available to help students with their dentist charges. Only a few private dentists offer a small student discount of about 10%, however this is not a common practice. It is advisable to enquire at numerous private dentist offices whether they offer student discounts.

The NHS does offer free dentist charges for students under the age of 19 who are in full-time education. If students do not fall into this category, they can still apply for the NHS low-income scheme.

Conclusion 

Although private dental charges are high in the UK, they offer many more treatment options than the NHS. Since prices vary depending on practice and location, it is worth doing a bit of research into different options.

You can look into and compare treatment options and price ranges across the four UK countries, compare private dentist and NHS prices, enquire about payment and membership plans and take out proper dental insurance. There are also plenty of ways to save costs on private dental charges, including travelling abroad to save up to 70% on UK dental prices.

If you decide to get dental treatment on the NHS, it may be possible for you to receive a free treatment depending on if you meet the specific criteria. There are also cost-saving options for pensioners and students in the UK.

It is worth noting that 75% of dental practices in the UK offer mixed services, allowing you to benefit from both the private sector and NHS.

Talk with a dentist

Do you have questions about dental treatment? Visit JustAnswer to chat online with a qualified dentist and find out all the information you need – without having to take time out for a dental appointment. Their dentists are based in the US but are available 24/7 to help you out.

FAQs

Where can I find the cheapest private dental treatments in the UK?

If we look at the English cities with the lowest prices, Birmingham has the cheapest price for a checkup, Plymouth for teeth whitening, and Liverpool has the best prices for dental implants. 

In Scotland, the prices appear to be relatively cheaper in comparison to other cities in the UK, with Glasgow having the best prices on average for a root canal. Belfast (Northern Ireland) and Cardiff (Wales) also offer some cheaper treatment options.

What are the private dental charges for UK pensioners?

When it comes to private dentist charges for pensioners, there don’t seem to be many benefits on offer.

Pensioners are entitled to free NHS dental treatments if they meet one or more of the low-income benefits criteria. Pension Credit Guarantee Credit is one of these criteria that would entitle a pensioner to receive free dental care with the NHS.  

How much is a private dental filling in the UK?

The dentist prices for fillings in the UK are roughly £40-£250, depending on the choice of filling, which tooth needs filling, and the dental practice.

Private dentists offer significantly more filling options than the NHS, allowing you to choose yours freely.