For patients
What an NHS dental appointment costs
Most adults pay for NHS dental treatment. The amount depends on what treatment you need, not on how many appointments it takes. The figures below are the charges the NHS publishes for England.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own charges, and there is a line for each at the bottom of this page.
Your dentist should tell you what the treatment will cost before they start.
The three charge bands in England
NHS dental treatment in England is grouped into three bands. You pay one charge for the whole course of treatment, even if it takes more than one appointment. Your dentist may collect that charge in instalments.
| Band | You pay | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Band 1 | £27.90 | A routine appointment: examination, assessment and advice. It can also include X-rays if they are clinically needed, fluoride put on the surface of your teeth, simple management of gum disease such as scaling, moulds of your teeth, and small adjustments to dentures or braces. |
| Band 2 | £76.60 | Everything in Band 1, plus treatment such as fillings, root canal treatment, having teeth out and other oral surgery, sealants, extensive management of gum disease, and additions or extensive adjustments to dentures. |
| Band 3 | £332.10 | Everything in Bands 1 and 2, plus more complicated work: crowns, inlays and onlays, dentures, bridges, orthodontic treatment such as braces, and other custom made appliances, not including sports guards. |
| Urgent treatment | £27.90 | Treatment at an urgent or emergency dental appointment. It can include an examination, X-rays, a temporary filling, draining an abscess, treatment for an injury, removing up to two teeth and one urgent filling. You may need more treatment afterwards, which can cost more. |
These are the England charges as they stand on 20 September 2026. They are set in regulations that come into force on 1 April, so we check this page against the NHS sources every April and update the figures and this date together.
If your treatment spans more than one band
If you need a mix of treatments from different bands, you pay the charge for the highest band you are having. If the mix is all within one band, you pay that band charge once.
If you need more treatment later
If you need further treatment within two months of finishing a course of treatment, you pay nothing extra when the new treatment is in the same band or a lower one. If it is in a higher band, you pay the higher band charge. After two months have passed, you pay for the new treatment in the normal way.
Treatment that is always free
You do not pay to have stitches removed, to have your dentist stop bleeding from your mouth, or to have dentures repaired. If dentures cannot be repaired, you pay for new ones.
Who pays nothing
You get free NHS dental treatment in England if, when your treatment starts, you are:
- under 18, or under 19 and in full time education
- pregnant, or you have had a baby in the last 12 months
- you have had a stillbirth in the past 12 months
- being treated in an NHS hospital by a hospital dentist, though you may still pay for dentures or bridges
- receiving War Pension Scheme or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments, and the treatment is for your accepted disability
You also get free treatment if you or your partner receive certain benefits, including income related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, Pension Credit Guarantee Credit with Savings Credit, and Universal Credit where your income is below a set amount. If you qualify through one of those benefits, so do your dependants aged under 20.
Two benefits that sound as though they should count and do not automatically qualify: New Style Jobseeker's Allowance and New Style Employment and Support Allowance. Pension Credit Savings Credit on its own does not automatically qualify either. The NHS Low Income Scheme, below, may still help.
On Universal Credit, whether you pay depends on your household's total take home pay in your last assessment period. The NHS Business Services Authority sets the figures at £435 or less, or £935 or less if your Universal Credit payment includes an element for a child or you had limited capability for work. For a couple, the limit applies to your joint income.
The NHS has an eligibility checker if you are not sure.
How to prove it
Take the proof with you. The NHS lists these as examples of what it accepts:
- a valid HC2 certificate, for people on a low income
- your birth certificate
- a valid maternity exemption certificate
- a maternity certificate (MatB1)
- a notification of birth form, or your baby's birth certificate
- a stillbirth certificate
For Pension Credit or Universal Credit, take your award notice.
Claiming free treatment you are not entitled to carries a penalty charge of up to £100, so check first rather than guess.
If you get War Pension Scheme or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments, you will usually need to pay first and claim the money back from Veterans UK.
If you are not exempt but on a low income
The NHS Low Income Scheme may cover some or all of the cost. If you qualify for full help you get an HC2 certificate. If you qualify for partial help you get an HC3 certificate, which tells you how much you have to pay. Show the certificate to your dentist.
Refunds
If you paid for NHS dental treatment and then find out you were entitled to free or reduced cost treatment, you can claim the money back. The NHS Business Services Authority asks for the claim within three months of paying, on form HC5(D).
What your dentist should tell you before treatment starts
Your dentist should explain which treatments you need and why, what happens during them, the risks and benefits, and what they will cost.
For Band 2 or Band 3 treatment you should be given a written treatment plan to agree and sign before treatment starts. It sets out the treatment and the cost.
Your dentist must be clear about which treatment is NHS and which can only be done privately, and tell you the cost of both. Private fees are set by the practice and are not NHS charges. If you choose private treatment, it should be written into your treatment plan.
The NHS also lists things that should not happen at an NHS dental appointment. Your dentist should not take a deposit before assessing your mouth, should not ask you to pay privately for an appointment to find out whether you will be accepted as an NHS patient, should not ask you to become a private patient so that your child can get NHS treatment, and should not charge you for missing an NHS appointment. If you miss an appointment during ongoing treatment without telling the practice, you may have to pay again for a new course of treatment.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The charges above are for England only. The other three nations run different systems, so do not apply the band figures to them.
Scotland. NHS dental examinations are free for everyone, and what you pay for treatment works differently. See NHS inform, Receiving NHS dental treatment in Scotland.
Wales. Charges are based on care packages rather than bands. See GOV.WALES, NHS dental charges and exemptions.
Northern Ireland. Charges are published each year in the Statement of Dental Remuneration. See nidirect, Seeing a dentist.
Finding an NHS dentist
Our NHS town pages list the practices in a town we can show are providing NHS treatment, with ratings, opening hours and contact details. They do not say whether a practice is taking on new patients. For that, see our page on how to find an NHS dentist taking on new patients.
Urgent dental care
Dentist Locator is not an emergency service. For urgent dental help in England, Scotland or Wales, call 111. In Northern Ireland, see the nidirect guidance. In a medical emergency, call 999.
Where every figure on this page comes from
All checked on 20 September 2026.
| Fact on this page | Source | The source's own date |
|---|---|---|
| Band 1 £27.90, Band 2 £76.60, Band 3 £332.10, urgent £27.90; what each band covers; highest band once; further treatment within 2 months; always free treatments | NHS, How much NHS dental treatment costs | Last reviewed 13 March 2025 |
| The same three band figures, corroborating | NHS Business Services Authority, Help with NHS dental costs | Not stated |
| Who gets free treatment; the benefits list; dependants under 20; the proof documents | NHS, Who can get free NHS dental treatment or help with dental costs | Last reviewed 11 February 2025 |
| New Style Jobseeker's Allowance and New Style Employment and Support Allowance do not qualify; Savings Credit alone does not qualify; the £100 penalty; Pension Credit award notice as proof; MAT B1 and birth certificate as proof | NHS Business Services Authority, Free NHS dental treatment | Not stated |
| Universal Credit £435 and £935 take home pay figures; joint income for couples; award notice as proof | NHS Business Services Authority, Universal Credit and help with health costs | Not stated |
| Refund claim within 3 months, form HC5(D); the Veterans UK route | NHS Business Services Authority, Help with NHS dental costs | Not stated |
| What the dentist must tell you; written treatment plan for Band 2 and Band 3; what should not happen; missed appointments | NHS, What happens when you visit an NHS dentist | Last reviewed 13 March 2025 |
| Scotland: free examinations for everyone, and a different way of charging for treatment | NHS inform, Receiving NHS dental treatment in Scotland | Last updated 27 July 2026 |
| Wales: care packages, not bands | GOV.WALES, NHS dental charges and exemptions | Last updated 27 July 2026 |
| Northern Ireland: charges published in the Statement of Dental Remuneration | nidirect, Seeing a dentist | Not stated |
| The England bands change with effect from 1 April | The National Health Service (Primary Dental Services and Dental Charges) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, SI 2026 No. 265 | Made 9 March 2026, in force 1 April 2026 |