NHS Services & Rules
What does NHS Band 2 cover?
By The Local Dentist Editorial · Updated 13 July 2026
What sits in Band 2
Band 2 is the middle NHS charge band in England, covering treatment that actively fixes disease or damage without laboratory-made work. The classic Band 2 items are fillings (of any material the NHS provides for that tooth), tooth extractions, and root canal treatment. The band also automatically includes everything from Band 1 — the examination, X-rays, and a scale and polish where clinically necessary — because a course of treatment is charged once at its highest band, not band by band. For 2026/27 the charge is £76.60 in England, identical at every NHS practice. Wales no longer has an equivalent band: it charges a fixed fee per care package instead, so the same kind of treatment costs £36.03 for simple restorative work such as fillings or extractions covering up to four teeth, or £91.18–£182.72 for root canal treatment depending on whether it's a front or back tooth.
One charge, however much Band 2 work you need
The per-course rule does the heavy lifting here. If your check-up finds three teeth needing fillings and a wisdom tooth needing extraction, the entire course — exam, X-rays, all three fillings, and the extraction — costs one Band 2 charge: £76.60 in England. The charges never stack per item or per appointment, even when the course takes several visits to complete. In Wales, the equivalent simple restorative care package (£36.03) works the same way — it is a fixed fee for the package of treatment, however many fillings or extractions (up to four teeth) it involves, not a per-item charge. This is why NHS dentistry is exceptional value for people needing a backlog of repair work cleared, and why the treatment plan your dentist gives you before starting shows a single price for the course rather than an itemised bill.
When Band 2 becomes Band 3 — and what Band 2 is not
If any item in the course requires laboratory work — a crown, denture, or bridge — the whole course moves up to Band 3 in England (£332.10), and that single Band 3 charge covers the Band 2 work too. A common sequence: root canal treatment (Band 2) often ends with a recommendation to crown the tooth, which would make the course Band 3, so ask your dentist to set out the full picture upfront. In Wales, the same shift happens between care packages: root canal work (£91.18–£182.72) that ends with a crown becomes a single crown/bridge package charge of £140.44 instead, which is also the fee for a denture package (£86.40 for dentures specifically). Band 2 is also strictly NHS: cosmetic upgrades such as a white filling on a back tooth where amalgam is the NHS-appropriate option are private choices priced by the practice (typically £90–300 per white filling) and must be listed separately on your treatment plan.
Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland do it differently
The band system as described above now exists in England only. Wales abolished its own three-band system from 1 April 2026 and replaced it with a fixed fee per care package — priced by treatment type rather than severity — capped at £384 for the most complex courses. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, NHS dental treatment is charged item by item: you pay 80% of the cost of each individual item — each filling, each extraction — up to the same £384 cap for the whole course of treatment. NHS dental examinations are free in Scotland, and under-26s there get treatment free too, not just the exam. Depending on how much work you need, the Scotland/NI approach can come out cheaper or more expensive than England's Band 2 charge or Wales's care-package fee, which is one reason cross-border comparisons confuse people. The usual exemptions (under-18s, pregnancy and maternity, low-income schemes, qualifying benefits) remove charges entirely in every UK nation.
People Also Ask
Is a root canal Band 2 or Band 3?
Root canal treatment itself is Band 2 (£76.60 in England). If the same course also includes a crown on the treated tooth — common after root canal — the whole course becomes Band 3 (£332.10).
Do I pay Band 1 and Band 2 for the same course?
No. You pay one charge at the highest band the course reaches. A course with an exam and two fillings is a single Band 2 charge that includes the exam.
Are wisdom tooth extractions Band 2?
Extraction at a dental practice is Band 2. Complex cases referred to hospital oral surgery are handled under hospital arrangements instead — your dentist will explain if a referral is needed.
Is a white filling included in Band 2?
Where a white filling is the clinically appropriate NHS option — usually front teeth — yes. On back teeth the NHS option is often amalgam, and a white alternative may be offered privately at £90–300 per tooth.
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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.