All treatment that is necessary in your dentist’s opinion to protect and maintain good oral health is available on the NHS. This means the NHS provides any treatment that you need to keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy and free of pain, including: dentures, crowns, bridges.
Dental implants and orthodontic treatment, such as braces, are available on the NHS, but only if there’s a medical need for the treatment.
Charges for NHS dental treatment
There are three bands of charges for all NHS dental treatments.
Responding to the UK Government's announcement of a 3.4 per cent increase in dental fees paid to dentists for NHS work, the British Dental Association warned that the measure would do nothing to improve access to NHS dentistry.
Lester Ellman, Chair of the BDA's General Dental Practice Committee, said:
"Every day we read stories about people struggling to find an NHS dentist and today's announcement will do nothing to tackle this crisis. Indeed, the independent pay review body itself has said it is not sure that the amount of money being put into NHS dentistry will be enough to save it.
"The costs of running a practice, which dentists pay for themselves, are rising quickly but this is totally ignored. Dentists desperately want to invest in better facilities and care for patients, and this is one of the main reasons why they leave the NHS. "
The Government announced today that it accepted the recommendations of the Doctors and Dentists Review Body, announcing a 3.4 per cent increase in the fees it pays to dentists for NHS work. But in its report, the Review Body questioned whether the funding which had already been announced for NHS dentistry would prove sufficient to improve access for patients and encourage dentists to return to the NHS.
Cosmetic dental treatment
NHS dental treatment does not include cosmetic treatments that are not clinically necessary, such as teeth whitening or veneers. Cosmetic treatments like this are used to improve the appearance of your teeth and make them look more attractive.
If you’re interested in having any cosmetic dental treatments, you should ask your dentist how much the private treatment will cost. Charges for any private treatment will be in addition to the charges for your NHS treatment.
