OUR FEES

There are three bands of charges for all NHS dental treatments.

The current dental charges are:

Band 1 dental treatment: £23.80

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: £65.20

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: £282.80

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).