The NHS provides any dental care that your dentist deems clinically essential to safeguard and maintain your oral health. This implies that the NHS offers whatever treatments necessary to maintain a healthy mouth, teeth, and gums, including:
- dentures
- crowns
- bridges
The National Health Service (NHS) does provide coverage for dental implants and orthodontic treatment, such as braces, although this coverage is conditional on there being a medical necessity for the treatment.
What should I expect to pay for my treatment?
If you generally pay for dental care via the NHS dentist, the total cost of your procedure will be determined by the specific clinical treatment that you need. Certain individuals are exempt from having to pay for dental care provided by the NHS –
NHS dental costs
There are three different fee bands for the NHS:
- Band 1 costs £14.70, which includes an examination, a diagnosis, and some recommendations. In addition, if they are required, X-rays, scaling and polishing, and planning for further treatment are included.
- Band 2 costs £47.00 and includes all of the treatments covered by Band 1, in addition to treatments such as fillings, root canal treatment, and extraction of teeth (extractions).
- Band 3 costs £203.00 and includes all of the treatments that are covered by Bands 1 and 2, in addition to procedures that are more involved, like crowns, dentures, and bridges.
Band 1 Dental Treatment: £14.70
Depending on what is required, this can include:
- A clinical exam, evaluation, and report
- Orthodontic evaluation and report
- Guidance, diagnosis, and treatment planning
- X-rays
- Moulds of your teeth, for instance, determine how your teeth bite together.
- Capturing coloured images
- Diet recommendations and cleaning instructions are examples of preventative measures.
- Applying sealants or fluoride solutions to the tooth surfaces can prevent tooth decay.
- Minor adjustments to fillings
- Examining a sample of cells or tissue extracted from your mouth (pathological examination)
- Altering artificial teeth (dentures) or orthodontic devices, like braces
- Managing delicate cementum (the tissue that covers the root of a tooth)
Band 2 Dental Treatment: £47.00
Depending on the requirements, this can include everything specified in band 1 plus:
- Non-surgical treatments for periodontitis (a severe form of gum disease) include root planing (the removal of bacteria from the roots of the teeth) and deep scaling and polishing.
- Surgical therapy for periodontitis, including the removal of partial gum tissue (gingivectomy)
- Free gingival grafts – when healthy tissue from the roof of the mouth is attached to the exposed root of a tooth – are available.
- Fillings
- Sealant restorations — when the sealant is used to repair a tiny hole and seal any grooves in your teeth — are a kind of dental restoration.
- Root canal therapy (endodontics)
- Pulpotomy – removing the dental pulp
- Apicectomy — the removal of the root tip of a tooth
- Implantation of teeth
- Extracting teeth (extraction)
- Oral surgery, such as cyst removal
- Soft tissue surgery of the lips and mouth
- Frenectomy, frenuloplasty, and frenotomy are surgical procedures performed on the folds of tissue connecting the tongue, lips, and cheeks to the jawbone.
- Relining and rebasing dentures
- Adding anything to your dentures, such as a clasp or a tooth
- Splinting loose teeth, such as after an accident or owing to periodontitis; laboratory-made splints are excluded.
This does not include laboratory-made bite-raising equipment (akin to a mouth guard), which is used to rectify jaw alignment.
Band 3 dental treatment: £203.00
Depending on the requirements, this can include everything described in bands 1 and 2, plus the following:
- Dental veneers and palatal veneers are new surfaces for a tooth’s front or rear.
- Inlays and onlays are restorations used to repair broken teeth.
- Crowns are a form of dental restoration that fully encases a tooth
- Bridges are permanent replacements for one or more missing teeth.
- Dentures
- Orthodontic therapy and devices include braces
- Additional customised equipment, except sports guards
- Veneers and braces are only provided by the National Health Service if there is a clinical necessity for them (not for cosmetic reasons).
Cosmetic dental treatment
Teeth whitening and other non-medically essential cosmetic dental procedures are not covered under the National Health Service’s (NHS) dental care plan. Cosmetic procedures such as this one are only provided on a private basis, and their purpose is to enhance the appearance of a person’s teeth so that they are more appealing to the eye.
If you are considering having any aesthetic dental procedures done, you should inquire with your dentist at Super Smile Dental about the costs associated with private treatment. The costs associated with any private treatment you get will be added to the costs associated with your NHS treatment.
Get in Touch With Us For NHS Dentistry Today!
Our convenient location, welcoming personnel, and extensive selection of NHS dentistry and other high-quality dental services have made us the go-to dental clinic in town. If you’re looking for a reputable NHS dentist in Cardiff who is currently taking new patients and would like to schedule a consultation or appointment, please don’t hesitate to contact us through phone or email.