Dentist Prices

[Webmaster]

Please enter all comments about our Dentist price pages here.

[Mrs P Melbourne]

what should I expect to pay for a white filling in a front tooth on NHS.  I have heard that only amalgam fillings are included and that white ones are extra.  I thought that if the tooth was visible at the front any fillings should be white and covered on NHS.

[Webmaster]

This is a good point Mrs P. I thought that if the tooth was highly visible then the NHS should offer the white fillings. Which should cost you £43.60. However I'm not 100% certain of this at the moment!

[kathrynb]

I have a question about dental insurance..... Everything to do with dentistry work is expensive, I need to have bridgework done and I know it will cost a lot of money. How does insurance work? Do you have to have perfect teeth to qualify? What if you pay your monthly charges and then after a couple of months you get toothache, does the insurance pay? Is it as straightforward as that? There appears to be one or two companies offering dental insurance, Tesco for example, maybe I am cynical but what is their 'get out'? One does not want to have dental problems but they happen, would like to know if anyone has got dental insurance and is it cost effective?

[HiHo]

I will have a look into it, but I'd imagine its like health insurance in that the annual premium varies depending on the level of cover provided. Again if its like health you have to sign disclaimers disclosing any prior known health issues which go into factoring the annual premium.
I'd guess the difference with dental is that there is a practical limit on the amount of money dental work could realistically cost whereas with general health there isn't (for example if you required major surgery and long term hospital stay the costs could be simply enormous!)

Does anyone reading this have any experience of dental insurance?

[kathrynb]

I will have a look into it, but I'd imagine its like health insurance in that the annual premium varies depending on the level of cover provided. Again if its like health you have to sign disclaimers disclosing any prior known health issues which go into factoring the annual premium.
I'd guess the difference with dental is that there is a practical limit on the amount of money dental work could realistically cost whereas with general health there isn't (for example if you required major surgery and long term hospital stay the costs could be simply enormous!)

Does anyone reading this have any experience of dental insurance?

Further to my question about dental insurance, do you have any experience or stories about dental implants? My dentist reckons it is the way to go but they are so expensive. I was looking at the dentistry abroad sites, Budapest, Spain etc. what do you think about going there to have work done. it appears to be substantially less than prices I have been given. Just not sure at all about what to do. I know insurance does not cover implants but I have been told that if successful....that's it, no more probs. I have heard some "horror. stories about implants but still thinking about it. Do you know a good dentist! All advice appreciated.

[Fluffy]

I will have a look into it, but I'd imagine its like health insurance in that the annual premium varies depending on the level of cover provided. Again if its like health you have to sign disclaimers disclosing any prior known health issues which go into factoring the annual premium.
I'd guess the difference with dental is that there is a practical limit on the amount of money dental work could realistically cost whereas with general health there isn't (for example if you required major surgery and long term hospital stay the costs could be simply enormous!)

Does anyone reading this have any experience of dental insurance?

[Fluffy]

Hi,

I visited the dentist yesterday to get what I thought would be a filling replaced in the back of one of my front teeth which has had a crown fitted & also root canal treatment.

I have Den Plan Insurance with my dental practice so I believed I would not have to make any payment on this visit. Unfortunatley I am advised that I need the crown replacing & although this is covered by insurance which I pay £24 for per month (based on my past dentistry work) I have to pay the lab technicians fee of £99 to make the crown. I was rather shocked at this high price being that I pay £288 already per year for my Den Plan although this does pay for all my check ups, fillings, x rays & a general clean up each year

I was offered a cheaper price for a lab fee of £67.50 but that would not be a porcelain veneer & apparently would not look as nice.

The last time I payed a lab fee for a crown was in 2003 approx £50 & now 4 years later it has doubled to £99, I find this rather a large leap in cost, their rate of inflation must be high. Reason I came on this website was to see how much I would pay out to return to NHS dentist if I can find one but looks like I would be paying £194 for the crown so am best off paying this lab fee.

Den Plan is certainly good in some aspects but I think the lab fees should be covered as well, I'd rather pay a few pounds more a month for my insurance to include it than have to fork out £99 in one hit.

Well I left the dentist just hoping that my crown will last a while cause I am not able to afford the £99 in one hit so keep your fingers crossed for me.

Any comments or questions re Den Plan ask away.

[kathrynb]

Thanks for that info, it was not something I had thought about, paying lab fees etc. I know what you mean about leaving the dentist without getting the necessary work done. I have had a tooth missing for a year now. My dentist said he was going to get a new longer post fitted to the crown, then he said I had to see a specialist. Specialist said it couldn't be done I would need dental implants.
The charge for this was 5k's. I said I would have to think about it.....and left.
I am with a NHS dentist do you have to pay for lab technicians work if you have insurance but NHS dentist? Tesco reckon they have dental insurance for half of what you pay, do you think I should read the smallprint again?

[Fluffy]

I looked into HSA & various other insurances. They seem to only cover you for up to a certain amount of payout a year so look carefully at the cover you are considering.

I spoke to my dental practice manager & she advised that she deals with a lot of private insurance claims eg your Tesco insurance & in her opinion you are better off with Den Plan Insurance which you may find your dentist can offer you. Bare in mind that if you take out the Tesco insurance if there is a maximum amount that they will only pay out for in 1 year then by the time your 2 check ups per year plus clean ups, x rays & possible fillings are taken out you will have to pay for anything over & above, so I believe. This is my opinion from having weighed up wether to get private insurance or stay with Den plan scheme. I cant answer your query re the lab technician fee on the Tesco Insurance scheme as not familiar with it so you best query that with them. All in all what ever we do its going to cost us money.

I have wayed up the pro's & cons & so far am staying with this Den plan scheme. I did think about just putting the money aside into an account instead then I would still have it if I did not need any dental work in 1 year, but again I would still have to pay for the check up's etc so will stay on the scheme.

Good luck it's a minefield

[sam]

NHs dentist have to cover the lab cost in the fee they take from you so a gold crown is cheaper to produce than a white one so more economical. It is also less destructive to the tooth to do a gold crown and they last longer so its morally the right treatment!

[Alan P]

I have recently visited my private dentist who has looked after my family's teeth since 1987, I was in need of some treatment - 2 possible fillings and some bridge work.  The dentist had retired and his practice had been taken over, the surgery had been brought up-to-date cosmetically and computers had been installed.  The visit (a check-up and a hygenist session) came to £57.00 and I was presented with an estimate totalling £168.00 for the 2 fillings - we never got to the cost of the bridge work.  I have discovered that there is at least one dental practice in my area taking on NHS patients and registered with them for a initial examination which was due tomorrow.  Unfortunately, one of the troublesome teeth broke yesterday.  I saw my new dentist yesterday afternoon, had an extraction and check-up complete with x-ray of the affected area and came out less than an hour later smiling once more (but a little sore) and richer for the experience (only £43.60 lighter!).  My experiences with my original dentist - who was considering switching to Denplan some years ago, but changed his mind when he discovered that most of his patients would vote with their feet - and the recent tale (above) have convinced me and my family that we were paying far too much for treatment that was not exceptional and I for one will be staying with my new-found Polish friend and her colleagues.  

[Ket]

Hi

Department of health are advertising dental charges and what you sHould pay with NHS. unless its wrong, which it should not be, or i have got it wrong it looks like a lot of you are getting ripped off.

Please visit the following website to check on the prices: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_073216

as far as i can tell root canal work should cost £43.60 and not £194.

hope this is of use

KET

[natureday]

I just took my son to the dentist and I was charged for the "exam" 2 times in one month.
How lame is that?
Anna

[riptoff]

white fillings on front teeth are covered by the NHS. Also white fillings on the sides of back teeth but not on the biting surface.
Denplan rules state that the patient pays the technician's charge.