NHS dental charges 2026: band 1, 2 and 3 prices in England

The three bands and urgent care

NHS dentists in England charge a fixed amount for each course of treatment. The amount depends on which of three bands the most complex item in the course falls into. All three charges rose on 1 April 2026.

The rises were 50p on band 1 and urgent care, £1.30 on band 2 and £5.40 on band 3.

What each band covers in practice

Band 1 is the routine check-up. A scale and polish sits in band 1 when the dentist decides it is clinically necessary. If the dentist says scaling is not needed, you pay for it privately. Extensive or complex gum treatment may move the course into band 2.

For band 2, the NHS website says white fillings are available on the NHS when clinically necessary, and a silver amalgam filling may be recommended for back teeth. Wisdom tooth removal is band 2 when clinically needed. For root canal work you can choose private treatment or a referral to an NHS specialist service, where one exists.

In band 3, a metal-coloured crown may be offered on a back tooth. Plastic and metal dentures, bridges and orthodontic braces are all band 3.

Urgent treatment is a separate £27.90 course. It covers the items in the table, including one urgent filling. Routine fillings after the urgent visit are band 2.

One charge per course, set by the highest band

You pay one charge for a course even when it runs over several appointments. Mix items from different bands and you pay only the highest band. If your dentist refers you to another dentist for part of the course, you still pay a single charge, to the dentist who referred you.

There is no charge for removing stitches, for stopping bleeding from the mouth, or for repairing dentures. A replacement set when repair is not possible is charged. If the dentist only gives you a prescription, there is no dental charge, though the prescription is charged when you collect it. Replacement appliances under regulation 11 cost £99.60 for one or £199.20 for two.

Checking the charge before you start

1. Tell the practice when you book that you want NHS treatment. Some practices offer NHS and private care side by side.
2. Ask for the treatment plan with the cost of each part. The NHSBSA tells patients to ask for this before treatment begins.
3. Check the NHS charges poster. Dentists should display one in the waiting room.
4. Be ready to pay up front. The practice may ask for the charge before treatment starts, or let you pay in instalments.

The two-month rule

After a course ends, further treatment within 2 months costs nothing extra if it falls in the same band or a lower one. Treatment in a higher band within the 2 months is charged at the higher band rate. Anything after 2 months starts a new course at the normal charge.

Worked examples

A filling and a crown in one course. Band 2 covers the filling and band 3 covers the crown. You pay the band 3 charge only: £332.10. Paid as two separate courses the same work would cost £76.60 plus £332.10, which is £408.70. Keeping both in one course saves £76.60.

A check-up which finds two cavities. The examination is band 1 and the fillings are band 2. The course costs £76.60. You do not pay £27.90 on top, and the second filling adds nothing.

More work after the course ends. Your band 2 course finishes on 3 March. On 20 April a third tooth needs a filling. The date falls within 2 months and in the same band, so it is free. If on 20 April you needed a crown instead, the crown would be charged at the band 3 rate of £332.10. A filling needed on 10 May falls outside the 2 months and costs £76.60.

An urgent visit and follow-up. Toothache on a Saturday leads to an urgent appointment, a temporary filling and one tooth removed. The charge is £27.90. Permanent fillings at a routine appointment later are a new band 2 course at £76.60, so the two courses together cost £104.50.

Mistakes that cost money

Letting private items slip into an NHS course. The NHSBSA says you pay for any private part even if you qualify for free NHS treatment. Ask the dentist to mark which items on the plan are NHS and which are private before you sign.

Splitting work across two courses. Two courses mean two charges. Ask whether the full plan can be completed as one course.

Missing the 2-month window. A further filling booked on day 50 is free. The same filling on day 70 costs £76.60.

Paying when you were exempt. Keep the FP64 receipt from the dentist. A refund claim on form HC5(D) must reach the NHSBSA within 3 months of payment, or 3 months from the last instalment. The free NHS dental treatment guide lists who qualifies, and the prescription refund guide covers the HC5 forms.

Where the figures come from

The four charges from 1 April 2026, the previous charges and the regulation 11 figures are from NHSBSA knowledge base article KA-02003. The band contents, the urgent treatment list, the 2-month rule, the highest-band rule, white fillings, scaling, root canal options and free items are from the NHS website page on understanding NHS dental charges. The one-charge-per-course rule, instalments, referrals, prescriptions and the FP64 and HC5(D) refund rules are from leaflet HC11 (V28) and the NHSBSA help with dental costs page. The rule on private parts of a course is from the NHSBSA free dental treatment page. The advice to ask for NHS treatment when booking is from the NHS website page on finding an NHS dentist, and the charges poster is from HC11. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland charge differently, set out in dental charges by nation.