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Dental Care costs and their impact on Household Budgets

Dental expenses refer to expenses incurred on maintaining the oral hygiene of your household.

Dental expenses in detail

You can get dental treatment either from NHS or private doctors. Let's look at both options.

NHS Dental Care

Dental expenses are not covered under NHS prescriptions and are charged separately. Based on the level of treatment you want, you can choose for any one of the three bands available from NHS. Band 1 treatment costs £18.5; band 2 costs £50.50, and band 3 treatment costs £219. Band 1 includes examination and diagnosis, any urgent treatment, and advice on future treatment. Band 2 includes services offered in band 1 plus work like root canal, fillings or dental extraction. Band 3 includes everything included in band 1 and 2 along with bridges, crowns, and dentures. Note that certain people are eligible for free dental treatment. You can get more details on the NHS website.

Private Dental Care

If you opt for dental treatment from private doctors, you will have to pay separate fees for initial assessment, consultation, diagnosis, extractions, fillings, and other treatments. Most private clinics offer a combination of NHS and private dental services.

Example 1:

Dental Centre Group offers dental treatment services at places like Tiverton and Cullompton. These centres offer both NHS and private care. For private care, the initial assessment costs are in the range of £31 to £51.5, and X-ray can cost from £9 to £29 (study models). A 20-minute hygienist visit costs £35, and based on the complexity extractions can cost between £54 and 190. For filling, there are several options available like amalgam filling, glass ionomer and others which can cost anywhere from £41 to £185 based on the material and number of surfaces.

Dental Deals

In the event you opt for private treatment, it is best to check the latest online deals.

Example 2:

Groupon offers many dental deals for different needs such as dentistry work, check-ups, implants, and braces. Let's look at some deals in London as of September 2014.

321 dental is offering a 73% discount on dental consultation, scale, polish and two x-rays. The deal costs £39.

Word of Mouth Fulham (great name for a dental practice!) is offering invisible braces at £899, or at a 64% discount at the original price of £2,500. The braces are for the inside area of the first six teeth and claim to offer results in 6 to 16 weeks.

Dental expenses as part of your household budget

Dental expenses can vary a lot based on the kind of treatment, your location, and whether you have dental insurance. As can be seen from above, NHS dental treatment and online deals can provide significant savings. Unless there is an emergency, it is always best to get quotes from different service providers before shortlisting any one provider.

Use our household budget calculator to see the role of dental expenses in your household budget.