The difference between NHS and private dentistry is not the quality of the clinical work. The same dentists often do both. The difference is price, choice of materials, time, and availability.
What the NHS gives you
NHS dentistry covers everything clinically necessary to keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy. That is a deliberately functional standard. You get check ups, fillings, extractions, root canals, crowns, dentures and bridges, all at the fixed band charges. What you do not automatically get is cosmetic work, a free choice of materials, or a white filling on a back tooth where the NHS considers a metal one adequate.
The NHS charge is a single fee for a whole course of treatment at the highest band needed. A check up that leads to two fillings is one Band 2 charge of £76.60, not Band 1 plus Band 2.
What private adds
- Choice of materials. White fillings everywhere, tooth coloured crowns, porcelain rather than metal.
- Cosmetic treatment. Veneers, teeth whitening, composite bonding and clear aligners are almost never available on the NHS.
- Time and comfort. Longer appointments, more choice of appointment times, and often a calmer pace.
- Availability. This is the big one right now. If you cannot find an NHS dentist taking patients, a private practice will almost always see you.
How the costs compare
Where an NHS option exists, it is usually much cheaper:
- A routine check up is £27.90 on the NHS; privately it is typically around £65.
- A root canal is a £76.60 Band 2 charge on the NHS; the private median is around £450.
- A crown is a £332.10 Band 3 charge on the NHS; privately it is typically around £720.
For treatment with no NHS equivalent, such as an implant or clear aligners, the private price is simply the price. See our private price guide for the full ranges.
When private is worth paying for
- You cannot get an NHS appointment and need to be seen
- You want cosmetic work the NHS does not cover
- You want a specific material or a specialist for complex work
- You value shorter waits and longer appointments, and can afford the difference
For most routine care, if you can get an NHS place, the NHS is the sensible choice on cost. Private earns its money on availability and on the work the NHS was never designed to do.