NHS Dental Charges

In the UK, dentistry is one of the few National Health Service (NHS) services where you must pay a contribution towards the cost of your care.

What are the current charges?

Some patients will not have to pay for their NHS dental care, this includes those under 18yrs of age and those in receipt of benefits covering dental care. It is the responsibility of the patient to inform us of any changes to their circumstances and complete their NHS forms accurately to the best of their knowledge.

All NHS dental charge fines are issues by NHS Business Services Authority and not the practice. If you receive a fine from the NHS BSA please contact our practice manager Jade Harris at the practice either by phone or email as soon as you receive the letter. Delays in addressing fines will result in additional charges being added by NHSBSA

Do the charges go up?

Yes, the NHS increases the charges at set intervals, more information can be found on their website https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/how-much-nhs-dental-treatment-costs/

What to expect during your visit

The dentist will carry out their assessment and inform you of what treatment they feel is clinical necessary and covered on the NHS, they will also give you private options if you wish to know these. Please note private options will include more choices than those available on the NHS, this is because the NHS dental service will only cover what is clinically necessary for example tooth whitening is not something that is deemed necessary for maintaining your dental health and therefore not covered.

Once the dentist has given you all the options and you have made a decision you’ll be provided with a treatment plan to be reviewed and signed, this will include the costs, if applicable.

You will then be invited to make an appointment to return and continue the treatment or you can take this plan home and consider your options. Please be advised NHS treatment cannot be left open ended indefinitely. Therefore if a patient does not return for treatment the plan will be closed and another assessment, and another charge, will be required.

How many treatments can I have at once?

Your dental plan for a course of treatment will include everything that is needed, and may require more than 1 visit to complete, this could be 1 filling or 10 fillings for example but you will only pay the band 2 charge once as long as the treatment in completed within the same course of treatment. The NHS banding works like an umbrella; one charge covers everything within that umbrella.

What if I want a white filling?

As mentioned, the NHS dental services will cover what is clinical necessary, you can discuss this further with your dentist.

As an NHS patient you can choose to have some treatment carried out privately, a white filling that is not covered by the NHS for instance. This does not mean you can longer have NHS treatment, you can intermix.

Worried about paying for extensive dentist treatment?

We offer payment plans within the practice including 0% dental finance for Private dental treatments, speak with your dentist for more information.

Do you still have question?

Please contact our knowledgeable reception team on 0208 303 9579 or speak with your dentist at your next visit.