There are three bands of charges for all NHS dental treatments.
The current dental charges are:
Band 1 dental treatment: £20.60
Depending on what’s necessary, this can cover:
- a clinical examination, assessment and report
- an orthodontic assessment and report
- advice, diagnosing and planning of your treatment
- X-rays
- moulds of your teeth – for example, to see how your teeth bite together
- taking coloured photographs
- advice on preventing future problems, such as diet advice and cleaning instructions
- applying sealants or fluoride preparations to the surfaces of your teeth
- a scale and polish
- marginal correction of fillings
- taking a sample of cells or tissue from your mouth to examine (pathological examination)
- adjusting false teeth (dentures) or orthodontic appliances, such as braces
- treating sensitive cementum (the tissue that covers the root of a tooth)
Urgent treatment when you need to see a dentist immediately also costs £19.70.
Band 2 dental treatment: £56.30
Depending on what’s necessary, this can cover everything listed in band 1 above, plus:
- non-surgical treatment of periodontitis (a severe form of gum disease) – such as root planing (cleaning bacteria from the roots of your teeth) or deep scaling and a polish
- surgical treatment of periodontitis – such as removing some gum tissue (gingivectomy)
- free gingival grafts – when healthy tissue from the roof of your mouth is attached to your teeth where the root is exposed
- fillings
- sealant restorations – when sealant is used to fill a small hole and seal any grooves in your teeth
- root canal treatment (endodontics)
- pulpotomy – removing dental pulp (the soft tissue at the centre of a tooth)
- apicectomy – removing the tip of the root of a tooth
- transplanting teeth
- removing teeth (extraction)
- oral surgery – such as removing a cyst
- soft tissue surgery to the mouth or lips
- frenectomy, frenoplasty or frenotomy – surgery to the folds of tissue that connect your tongue, lips and cheeks to your jaw bone
- relining and rebasing dentures
- adding to your dentures – such as adding a clasp or a tooth
- splinting loose teeth – for example, after an accident or due to periodontitis; this doesn’t include laboratory-made splints
bite-raising appliances (similar to a mouth guard) – for example, to correct your jaw alignment; this doesn’t include laboratory-made appliances
Band 3 dental treatment: £244.30
Depending on what’s necessary, this can cover everything listed in bands 1 and 2 above, plus:
- veneers and palatal veneers – new surfaces for the front or back of a tooth
- inlays, pinlays and onlays – used to restore damaged teeth
- crowns – a type of cap that completely covers your real tooth
- bridges – a fixed replacement for a missing tooth or teeth
- dentures
- orthodontic treatment and appliances such as braces
- other custom-made appliances, not including sports guards
Treatments such as veneers and braces are only available on the NHS if there’s a clinical need for them (not for cosmetic reasons).
Read the answers to more questions about dental health.