NHS dental treatment in England costs £27.90 for a Band 1 course, £76.60 for Band 2 and £332.10 for Band 3, at the charges that came into force on 1 April 2026. You pay one charge for the whole course of treatment, whichever band the most complex item falls into, and nothing at all if you are under 18, pregnant, a new mother or on a qualifying benefit. A private practice charges per item instead, so a single private crown at £480–1,150 costs more than the entire Band 3 charge that would cover it on the NHS.
The three bands, and what each one covers
The band is decided by the most complex item in your course of treatment, not by how many items there are.
Band 1 (£27.90) covers the examination, a diagnosis, advice, X-rays, a scale and polish where the dentist says it is clinically needed, fluoride varnish and minor adjustments to a denture or brace. Urgent treatment, such as an emergency examination and a temporary filling or the removal of up to two teeth to stop pain, is also charged at £27.90.
Band 2 (£76.60) includes everything in Band 1 plus fillings, root canal treatment, extractions, fissure sealants, additions to a denture and more extensive gum treatment. Two fillings and an extraction in the same course is still one Band 2 charge.
Band 3 (£332.10) includes everything in Bands 1 and 2 plus laboratory work: crowns, bridges, dentures, inlays and onlays, and orthodontic treatment where the NHS provides it. A full upper and lower denture is one Band 3 charge, not two.
A few items are free at any band: removing stitches, stopping bleeding after an extraction and repairing a denture.
The 2026/27 charges replaced the 2025/26 figures of £27.40, £75.30 and £326.70. The uplift is applied each April, so check the NHS page in the sources before relying on a figure you saw last year.
One charge per course of treatment
A course of treatment is everything the dentist writes into a plan at the examination and completes over the following weeks. You pay the single highest band charge that applies. If you need a crown and three fillings, that is £332.10, not £332.10 plus £76.60.
If you return within two months of finishing a course and need further work in the same or a lower band, there is no extra charge. Work in a higher band is charged at the difference between the two bands. After two months a new course begins with its own charge.
This is why an NHS estimate is so much simpler than a private one. The Out-of-pocket dental cost calculator handles both: for NHS work, enter the band charge as the single line; for private or mixed treatment, enter each item from the written estimate.
Who pays nothing
In England you are entitled to free NHS dental treatment if you are:
- under 18, or under 19 and in full-time education
- pregnant, or have had a baby (or a stillbirth) in the last 12 months
- being treated in an NHS hospital by a hospital dentist (you may still pay for dentures or bridges)
- receiving income-related Employment and Support Allowance, the guarantee credit part of Pension Credit, or Universal Credit below the earnings threshold
- named on a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate
- entitled through the War Pension Scheme or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme for treatment of an accepted disability.
If none of those applies and your income is low, the NHS Low Income Scheme may help. An HC2 certificate gives full help and an HC3 certificate states how much you pay towards each course. If you paid a charge and later find you were exempt, you can claim a refund within three months.
Tell the practice your exemption before treatment starts. Claiming an exemption you are not entitled to attracts a penalty charge on top of the fee.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The bands above are England only. Each nation sets its own system.
- Scotland: NHS examinations are free for everyone, and charges are abolished entirely for people under 26. Paying patients pay 80% of the cost of treatment up to a maximum of £384 per course. The dentist must give you an itemised estimate before starting.
- Wales: from 1 April 2026, Wales replaced the three bands with charges per care package under its reformed contract. A recall visit is £25.00, urgent care is £37.50, and treatment packages range from £36.03 for simple restorative work to £182.72 for a molar root canal, with crowns, bridges and veneers at £140.44 and dentures at £86.40. Unlike England, the packages you need are added together, capped at £384 per course. Examinations are free under 25 and from 60.
- Northern Ireland: Health Service dentistry charges a share of the itemised treatment cost, published each year in the Statement of Dental Remuneration, with a maximum per course. The exemptions are similar to England's: under 18, in full-time education at 18, pregnant or within 12 months of a birth, and certain benefits.
The exemptions for children, pregnancy and benefits broadly match across all four nations, but the income thresholds differ, so check the page for the nation you live in.
When private dentistry makes sense
The NHS provides treatment that is clinically necessary to keep your mouth healthy. It does not provide cosmetic work, and it may offer a functional option where a private dentist would offer a more cosmetic one. Reasons people choose private treatment include:
- Availability. Many practices are not taking new NHS patients, and a private examination at £40–120 can be quicker to get than an NHS one.
- Material choice. White fillings on back teeth, all-ceramic crowns, and dentures in premium materials are usually private. A private filling is £130–410, a private crown £480–1,150, and private dentures £590–1,350 per arch. Compare that with £76.60 and £332.10 on the NHS.
- Treatments the NHS does not offer. Implants, veneers, whitening and adult orthodontics for appearance are private, with narrow clinical exceptions.
- Time and choice of clinician. Longer appointments, a specialist rather than a general dentist for root canal treatment (privately £300–950), and a choice of laboratory.
For a straightforward filling, extraction or crown, the NHS is far cheaper for the same clinical outcome. For anything cosmetic or unavailable on the NHS, the Dental crown cost calculator and Denture cost calculator give the private range for your item so you can judge a quote. Dental payment plans and cash plans can refund part of a private fee up to an annual limit; none of them changes the NHS charge.
Mixed NHS and private treatment
A practice can provide part of a course on the NHS and part privately, but it must tell you in writing which is which and what each will cost before starting. The NHS band still covers the NHS part in full. You cannot be asked to pay privately for something the NHS would provide simply because the practice prefers to, and you cannot be charged an NHS band for an item that is not available on the NHS.
Ask for the written treatment plan (form FP17DC in England) and check the NHS and private columns before you agree.
What to do next
- Check whether you are exempt, using the NHS eligibility page in the sources, before your appointment; tell the practice at the start, not the end.
- Ask for the written treatment plan and confirm which band the course falls into, and whether any item is being offered privately instead.
- If you are quoted a private fee, run it through the Out-of-pocket dental cost calculator alongside the band charge for the same item to see exactly what the private option is buying you.
