There are 3 bands of charges for all NHS dental treatments.
Band 1 dental treatment: £23.80
This covers 1 or more treatments (as many as are necessary) from the following list :
- adjusting false teeth (dentures) or orthodontic appliances, such as braces
- applying sealants or fluoride preparations to the surfaces of your teeth
- a clinical examination, assessment and report
- marginal correction of fillings
- moulds of your teeth – for example, to see how your teeth bite together
- an orthodontic assessment and report
- a scale and polish (if clinically necessary)
- coloured photographs
- taking a sample of cells or tissue from your mouth for examination
- treating sensitive cementum (the tissue that covers the root of a tooth)
- X-rays
Emergency treatment (when you need to see a dentist immediately) also costs £22.70.
Band 2 dental treatment: £65.20
This can cover anything listed in band 1 above, plus any of the following:
- an addition to your dentures – such as adding a clasp or a tooth
- apicectomy – removing the tip of the root of a tooth
- a mouth guard to correct your "bite" (doesn't include a laboratory-made appliance)
- fillings
- free gingival grafts – when healthy tissue from the roof of your mouth is attached to your teeth where the root is exposed
- frenectomy, frenoplasty or frenotomy – surgery to the folds of tissue that connect your tongue, lips and cheeks to your jaw bone
- treatment for severe gum disease – such as root planing (cleaning bacteria from the roots of your teeth), deep scaling and a polish, or a gingivectomy (removal of gum tissue)
- oral surgery – such as removing a cyst, or soft tissue surgery to the mouth or lips
- pulpotomy – removing dental pulp (the soft tissue at the centre of a tooth)
- relining and rebasing dentures
- removing teeth (extraction)
- root canal treatment
- sealant to fill small holes or grooves in your teeth
- splinting loose teeth – for example, after an accident (this does not include laboratory-made splints)
- transplanting teeth
Band 3 dental treatment: £282.80
This can cover anything listed in bands 1 and 2 above, plus any of the following :
- bridges – a fixed replacement for a missing tooth or teeth
- crowns – a type of cap that completely covers your real tooth
- dentures
- inlays, pinlays and onlays – used to restore damaged teeth
- orthodontic treatment and appliances such as braces
- other custom-made appliances, not including sports guards
- veneers and palatal veneers – new surfaces for the front or back of a tooth
Treatments such as veneers and braces are only available on the NHS if there's a clinical need for them (not for cosmetic reasons).
Similarly, other cosmetic treatments, such as teeth whitening, are not available on the NHS.