Costs & Charges
What are the NHS dental bands and what does each cost?
By The Local Dentist Editorial · Updated 13 July 2026
The three bands and what falls into each
Every NHS dental treatment in England is assigned to a band, and the band sets the price nationally. Band 1 (£27.90) covers assessment and prevention: the examination, X-rays, a scale and polish where clinically necessary, and advice. Band 2 (£76.60) covers treatment that fixes problems: fillings, tooth extractions, and root canal treatment. Band 3 (£332.10) covers laboratory-made work: crowns, dentures, and bridges. Urgent treatment — pain relief or a temporary fix when you need to be seen quickly — is charged at £27.90. The bands are the same at every NHS practice in England; a practice quoting a different price for NHS work is quoting private treatment.
One charge per course — the rule that saves you money
You pay a single charge for a complete course of treatment, set by the highest band it reaches. If your check-up finds two teeth that need fillings and one that needs a crown, the whole course is one Band 3 charge of £332.10 — you do not pay Band 1 plus Band 2 plus Band 3, and you do not pay per filling. The charges are never additive within a course. A new course started within a set period for related work may also be covered without a further charge — ask the practice before assuming you will pay again. Your dentist must give you a written treatment plan showing the band before treatment starts, so you always know the cost upfront.
How Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland differ
The banded system described above is used in England only. Wales used to run the same three-band structure at lower prices, but abolished it entirely from 1 April 2026: instead of a band, you now pay a fixed fee for the specific care package your treatment falls into — for example £25.00 for a recall examination, £36.03 for simple restorative work such as a filling or extraction, or £140.44 for a crown, bridge, or denture-type package, up to a maximum of £384 per course. Scotland and Northern Ireland do not use bands or fixed care packages at all — treatment is charged item by item, and you pay 80% of the cost of each item, capped at £384 per course of treatment. In Scotland, NHS dental examinations are free for everyone, and under-26s get treatment free too, not just the exam. The system that applies is the one where you are treated. Our NHS dental band calculator shows the cost of common treatments in each UK nation side by side.
What the bands don't cover
NHS dentistry covers treatment that is clinically necessary to keep your mouth healthy — it does not cover purely cosmetic work. Teeth whitening, veneers for appearance, and clear aligners such as Invisalign are private treatments with prices set by each practice, which is where comparing dentists genuinely pays off. Some treatments sit on the boundary: white fillings on back teeth, for example, are often offered privately where an NHS amalgam filling would be clinically adequate. If you are offered a private option, the practice must make clear what the NHS alternative is and price both on your treatment plan before you decide.
People Also Ask
Do I pay for each filling separately on the NHS?
No. All the fillings in one course of treatment are covered by a single Band 2 charge of £76.60 in England. NHS charges are per course, not per item.
What band is a root canal?
Root canal treatment is Band 2 in England (£76.60). Wales no longer uses bands — its equivalent fixed fee is £91.18 for a front tooth or £182.72 for a back tooth. If the tooth also needs a crown in the same course, the whole course becomes Band 3 in England, or the crown/bridge care package in Wales.
Is urgent NHS treatment a separate band?
Urgent treatment has its own flat charge of £27.90 in England. It covers what is needed to get you out of pain or stabilise the problem; follow-up work is a new course charged at the appropriate band.
Do NHS band prices vary between practices?
Never. Band charges are set nationally by the government and are identical at every NHS practice in England. Only private treatment prices vary from practice to practice.
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This article is general information for UK patients, not clinical advice, and NHS rules and charges change — confirm current rules on nhs.uk or speak to a dentist before acting. For severe facial swelling affecting breathing/swallowing, uncontrolled bleeding, or trauma call 999 / go to A&E; otherwise NHS 111 for urgent dental access. Price figures are indicative benchmarks from our methodology.