NHS Dental Charges: Bands, Who Pays Nothing and Your Rights

There are 3 standard charges for NHS dental treatment in England. You will pay only one charge even if you need to go to the dentist more than once to complete a course of treatment, although your dentist may collect it in instalments.

If you need a mix of treatments from different bands, you pay the cost of the highest band. If you need a mix of treatments from the same band, you pay the band charge only once.

If you need further treatment within 2 months, you do not pay extra if it is in the same band or a lower band. If it is in a higher band, you pay the higher band fee, and you pay for any further treatment after 2 months has passed.

The cost depends on what treatment the dental professional thinks you need, and they should tell you how much it will cost before they start any treatment.

Scaling is usually included in band 1, but extensive treatment or treatment for complex gum problems may be charged as band 2. If the dentist says scaling is not clinically necessary, you have to pay for it privately.

Treatment with no charge in England

• ✓Yes: You are having stitches removed
• ✓Yes: Your dentist has to stop bleeding from your mouth
• ✓Yes: Your false teeth (dentures) need to be repaired, but if they cannot be repaired you will have to pay for new ones

You can get free NHS dental appointments and treatment in England if any of these apply.

• ✓Yes: You are aged under 18, or under 19 and in full-time education
• ✓Yes: You are pregnant or have had a baby in the last 12 months
• ✓Yes: You have had a stillbirth in the past 12 months
• ✓Yes: You are getting treatment in an NHS hospital from a hospital dentist (but you may still need to pay for dentures or bridges)
• ✓Yes: You receive War Pension Scheme or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments and the treatment is for your accepted disability
• ✓Yes: You or your partner receive Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• ✓Yes: You or your partner receive Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, with or without Savings Credit
• ✓Yes: You or your partner receive Universal Credit and your income is below a certain amount
• ✓Yes: You are a dependent aged under 20 of someone who receives one of those benefits
• ✓Yes: You have a certificate for full help with health costs (HC2) from the NHS Low Income Scheme

If you get Universal Credit, you might be entitled to help with health costs, and this depends on your total take-home pay in your last assessment period.

You are not automatically entitled to free NHS dental treatment if you get:

• ✗No: New Style Jobseeker's Allowance
• ✗No: New Style Employment and Support Allowance
• ✗No: Pension Credit Savings Credit on its own

You could get help through the NHS Low Income Scheme instead. Our guides to Pension Credit and Universal Credit explain how those benefits work.

Depending on the reason, you need to give your dentist proof that you can get free NHS dental treatment. Examples include the following.

• A valid HC2 certificate
• 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

Do not claim free dental treatment unless you are certain you are entitled to it. You may be subject to a penalty charge of up to £100 if you claim for help when you are not entitled.

If you are eligible, you can only get free NHS dental treatment. You need to pay for any private dental treatment, and if your treatment is a mixture of NHS and private, you still have to pay for the private part.

If you receive War Pension Scheme or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments and get free dental treatment, you will usually need to pay for it yourself first and claim the money back from Veterans UK.

If you are not eligible for free NHS dental treatment and you are on a low income, you may still be able to get help with part of the cost from the NHS Low Income Scheme. It gives you an HC3 certificate that shows how much you will pay for dental treatment.

If you pay NHS dental charges and then find out that you are entitled to free or reduced cost treatment, you can claim a refund. You must make your refund claim within 3 months of paying the charges.

Before any treatment starts, you should have a copy of your written treatment plan. It should give details of the proposed treatment, the costs and whether the treatment is NHS or private. Your dentist should tell you if the plan or estimated costs change and give you an updated plan in writing.

Your dentist should explain the different options, including the risks, benefits, likely outcomes and costs. Dental professionals are required to give you the time you need to consider information, so you do not have to make important decisions on the spot.

Dental professionals are required to make clear which treatments can be provided under the NHS and which can only be provided privately. You should not feel under pressure to have treatment privately instead of under the NHS. Professionals offering both must not mislead patients about the treatments available and must take your preference into account.

If your NHS dentist says you need a particular type of treatment, which you might hear called clinically necessary, private options or alternative treatments can be discussed, but it is your choice whether you take them.

Treatments needed to keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy should be available on the NHS. Cosmetic treatment like tooth whitening, and treatments such as dental implants that are not normally covered by the NHS, will probably need to be paid for privately.

Dental professionals are required to get your consent before starting any treatment.

All NHS and private dental practices must have a formal complaints procedure. The General Dental Council has a guide on how to make a complaint or get a refund.

The NHS website's dentists page points to NHS England for how to complain about NHS dental care.

In Wales you will normally pay 1 charge per course of treatment, or care package, even if treatment takes place over more than 1 appointment. There is a maximum total charge of £384 for a course of treatment, or multiple courses delivered at the same time.

Some care packages exclude laboratory charges, which may be payable separately. For the denture care package, laboratory charges are not included and must be paid separately unless you are exempt from NHS dental charges.

You should ask your dentist how much your individual treatment plan will cost. The dental practice may ask you to pay before beginning your treatment.

In Wales you get free dental examinations if you are aged under 25 or aged 60 or over.

You can get free NHS dental treatment in Wales if, when the treatment starts, any of these apply.

• ✓Yes: You are aged under 18
• ✓Yes: You are aged 18 and in full-time education
• ✓Yes: You are pregnant or have had a baby within the 12 months before treatment starts
• ✓Yes: You are an NHS in-patient and the treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist
• ✓Yes: You are an NHS Hospital Dental Service out-patient
• ✓Yes: You or your partner receive certain benefits, including Universal Credit and Pension Credit
• ✓Yes: You are on a low income
• ✓Yes: You are named on a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate

In Scotland you could qualify for free NHS dental treatment if you are under 26, pregnant, nursing up until the baby is 12 months old, or exempt from paying because of your income.

If you live in Scotland, you download and print the Scottish HC5 form to claim a refund of charges you were entitled not to pay. You can also get an HC5 from your GP practice or pharmacy.

You can get help to complain about an NHS service from the Patient Advice & Support Service (PASS). If you are unhappy with the NHS response, you can complain to the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman (SPSO).

Your dentist will tell you what treatment you need and what the exact cost will be before starting any private dental treatment. Health Service treatment charges are published each year in the Statement of Dental Remuneration (SDR) under the column patient's charges.

You get free dental treatment in Northern Ireland if any of these apply.

• ✓Yes: You are under 18 years old
• ✓Yes: You are 18 years old and in full-time education
• ✓Yes: You are pregnant, or have had a child, within the 12 months before treatment starts
• ✓Yes: You are a hospital inpatient and the treatment is carried out by a hospital dentist
• ✓Yes: You get Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
• ✓Yes: You are a war pensioner and need the dental treatment because of a disability which you get a war pension for
• ✓Yes: You are a Hospital Dental Service outpatient
• ✓Yes: You are a Community Dental Service patient
• ✓Yes: You receive Universal Credit and in your last assessment period you had no earnings, or net earnings of £435 or less
• ✓Yes: You receive Universal Credit, were claiming for children, and had no earnings, or net earnings of £935 or less
• ✓Yes: You receive Universal Credit, were assessed as having limited capability for work, or limited capability for work and work related activity, and declared income of £935 or less

If you have a low income but are not entitled to free dental care, you might get help with the costs under the Low Income Scheme.

Your dentist should explain the benefits and drawbacks of any treatment they recommend, explain alternatives that may be available, and have your permission before they treat you.

As a Health Service patient in Northern Ireland, you are:

• Free to get a second opinion
• Entitled to stop the treatment if you are not satisfied
• Able to inspect your records and x-rays at any time, within a maximum of 40 working days of a written request, free of charge
• Entitled to receive emergency treatment from your dentist or another dentist
• Entitled to refuse payment for the treatment if it is proved to be unsatisfactory