Understanding NHS dental charges

We also have a guide to NHS dental services which can be found here.  

What treatment does NHS dentistry provide?

The NHS provides ‘clinically necessary’ dental treatment, which means advice and treatments to help prevent dental conditions, appointments to check if your teeth and mouth are healthy, and treatments for problems and injuries affecting your teeth and mouth.

This may range from check-ups and scale and polish, through to fillings, and more complex treatment such as root canals, crowns and dentures. Emergency treatment is also provided. 

You’ll usually need to access cosmetic treatments privately as the NHS doesn’t provide these.

Do I need to pay for NHS dental treatment?

Some people can get free NHS dental treatment or help with part of the costs, but there are still fees to pay for most people.

Further information on the latest NHS dental charges is provided below. 

If one or more of the following applies to you when your treatment begins, you should be entitled to free NHS dental care:

• aged under 18, or under 19 and in qualifying full-time education
• pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months
• staying in an NHS hospital and your treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist
• an NHS hospital dental service outpatient – but you may have to pay for your dentures or bridges

You’re also entitled to free dental care if you or your partner receive one of these benefits, or if you are under the age of 20 and are a dependant of someone receiving:

• Income Support
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
• Universal Credit and meet the criteria

If I am eligible for free NHS dental treatment, how do I get it?

You can get free dental care if you're entitled to, or named on, a valid HC2 certificate. People named on an NHS certificate for partial help with health costs (HC3) may also get help with the cost of NHS dental treatment.

You can claim back the cost of dental treatment if you receive the War Pension Scheme or Armed Forces Compensation scheme payments. 

You'll be asked to show your dentist written proof you do not have to pay for all or part of your NHS treatment. You'll also be asked to sign a form to confirm that you do not have to pay.

Medical conditions do not mean you are exempt from paying towards NHS dental treatment. You will also still have to pay NHS dental charges if you receive any of the following:

• Incapacity Benefit
• Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance
• Contribution-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Disability Living Allowance
• Council Tax Benefit
• Housing Benefit
• Pension Credit Savings Credit

How much will my NHS dental treatment cost?

We understand talking about charges may feel challenging, but talking to your dentist or practice staff before treatment occurs helps reduce the risk of unexpected charges or misunderstandings.  If you aren’t eligible for free NHS treatment, you will have to pay charges based on the type of treatment you receive. 

There are three standard NHS price bands in England, along with a cost for emergency treatment. You should only pay once for each complete course of dental treatment, regardless of how many appointments are needed. These figures are based on 2025 pricing. 

Band 1: £27.40.  Includes: examination, diagnosis and advice (a routine dental appointment), X-rays, basic management of gum disease such as scaling (a thorough clean of your teeth and gums), moulds of your teeth, minimal adjustments to false teeth (dentures) or orthodontic appliances, such as braces.

Band 2: £75.30. Includes: fillings, root canals, removing teeth (extraction), sealant to fill small holes or grooves in your teeth, adding to your false teeth (dentures), a bite-raising appliance to correct your bite, extensive management of gum disease. 

Band 3: £326.70.  Includes: crowns (a type of cap that covers your real tooth), restoring damaged teeth with inlays and onlays, dentures made from plastic or metal, bridges (a fixed replacement for a missing tooth or teeth), clinically necessary orthodontic treatment. 

Urgent dental treatment: £27.40.  Includes: examination, assessment and advice, X-rays, temporary fillings, emergency partial root canal treatment, management of a knocked-out tooth, refixing inlays, crowns and bridges, removing up to 2 teeth, aftercare including treatment for infections, alteration of dentures or braces, urgent treatment for severe, sudden conditions (such as ulcers and herpetic lesions), draining a dental abscess and treating any infection, 1 urgent filling (routine fillings are a band 2 treatment).

The NHS also provide further information about NHS dental treatment costs on their website.  

What’s a dental treatment plan? 

Whatever NHS dental treatment you have, your dentist should explain what dental treatment has been suggested and how much it will cost in a treatment plan you both agree. 

Your dentist should provide you with a treatment plan for Band 2 and Band 3 treatments as well as if you’re having a mixture of NHS and private treatments.  

Treatment plans are not usually given for Band 1 or urgent dental treatment, but you can ask for one.

You'll be asked to sign the plan and should be given a copy to keep.